Tom Cruise’s new thriller may be in trouble, as the project has reportedly become stalled due to a variety of issues, including the possible departure of its director.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning does indeed seem to be the final chapter in the long-running action movie series. Ethan Hunt star Cruise can walk away from his biggest franchise knowing he has lined up several interesting new projects, including an undersea thriller set to co-star Ana de Armas.

But Cruise’s foray into the deep blue sea with de Armas may be in jeopardy. Reports surfaced back in July saying Warner Bros. was hesitant about committing to the film’s $275 million budget, with the studio looking to make it for no more than $230 million.

Now it seems that Cruise’s thriller, enтιтled Deeper, may be in deeper water than previously reported, as in addition to the film’s budget problems, it’s also facing the possible departure of director Doug Liman (via Puck). Liman is said to be looking at other projects as Deeper remains adrift.

Universal is believed to be a possible new home for the film, if the WB deal falls through, but the company reportedly has not yet heard a pitch.

What This Means For Deeper

Cruise’s Mission: Impossible series increasingly became a stage for the star to perform daredevil aerial stunts. Deeper presumably would take the show underwater, affording Cruise all sorts of new opportunities to risk his life in the name of entertainment.

But first, Cruise must get someone to commit to the huge budget that would be required for him to undertake his latest set of daring feats, alongside his new female sidekick de Armas. It’s not good news that WB is balking at giving the star the budget he says he requires.

$230 million would seem like a big enough budget on which to pull off the supernatural undersea adventure Deeper is described as being. But even if the money is secured, it appears a new director will have to be hired, as Liman looks ready to bolt.

This doesn’t mean Deeper has hit rock bottom, never to resurface, but it does seem Cruise and company will have to do some hardcore negotiating, as WB continues to play hardball on budget.

Our Take On Deeper Being In Trouble

Cruise’s post-Mission: Impossible plan was looking encouraging. Deeper was set to give audiences an underwater version of Cruise’s daredevil act, while the star also looked to revisit his legitimate-actor days in Oscar-winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s unтιтled dark comedy.

Cruise’s movie with the acclaimed director who finally won Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar will see the light of day, as it’s set for release on October 2, 2026. The other half of the plan is in wait-and-see mode, as Cruise battles WB over money, Liman looks around for other opportunities, and Universal waits to see a pitch.

The Iñárritu movie frankly looks more intriguing than Deeper. The world has seen Cruise put his life on the line for the sake of thrills many times, but it’s seldom seen him stretch as an actor. Seeing Cruise give a performance like he did years ago in Magnolia is a more exciting prospect than seeing him do crazy things underwater.