Back in August 2024, I started circulating this project as a rumor. We now have confirmation, including a budget and an added cast member.
Deadline reports that director Doug Liman has confirmed that his next film will be “Deeper”, with Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas set to star. Warner Bros. was supposed to produce the film, which has spent nearly a decade in development, cycling through multiple directors over the years, but Deadline hints they might have given up the rights to another studio due to the budget, which would exceed the $200M mark.
De Armas and Cruise have been doing the diving training required for the project, and the plan is to shoot this one as Cruise’s next film. The entire project awaits for none other than Christopher McQuarrie to put the finishing touches on the last draft of the script.
Originally written by Max Landis, “Deeper” was first announced in 2016. Since then, a number of high-profile actors — including Idris Elba, Bradley Cooper, and Gal Gadot — were at one point attached to the project. Directors Kornel Mundruczó and Baltasar Kormákur were also previously linked to helm the film in 2016 and 2019, respectively.
Liman describes “Deeper” as a “supernatural thriller.” The story follows a disgraced astronaut, played by Cruise, who embarks on a deep-sea mission to explore a recently discovered ocean trench, only to encounter a mysterious and dangerous force.
The screenplay was once acquired by MGM for a substantial seven-figure sum. However, the studio eventually dropped the project after multiple allegations of emotional and sexual abuse were made against Landis. His most recent credit was a co-writing role on 2020’s “Shadow in the Cloud,” although that script was heavily revised by Roseanne Liang.
“Deeper” will mark the third collaboration between Cruise and Liman, who previously worked together on “Edge of Tomorrow” and “American Made.” They’re also developing an ambitious project with NASA that will involve filming in space.