Folks are wondering what Tom Cruise’s next project will be. It’s certainly not “Edge of Tomorrow 2,” which is still in development, and “Top Gun 3” seems to be more of a 2027/2028 thing. Then there’s “Deeper,” a $275M project dropped by Warner Bros. last year due to its ridiculous budget, which Cruise is apparently trying to convince Paramount to take on.
Turns out, what comes next might be none of these. Last summer, Paramount acquired the script “Doppelgänger,” written by Aneesh Chaganty and Dan Frey, positioning it as an original spy thriller with franchise potential.
The project is being produced by Ryan Coogler. Chaganty is set to direct, and the film has reportedly become a priority for Paramount chief David Ellison, who has already invested a significant seven-figure sum despite no official cast attachments at the time.
In terms of casting, The InSneider is exclusively reporting that the biggest development is early discussions with Cruise for the lead role. Chaganty has reportedly met with Cruise multiple times in Florida and is actively rewriting the script to suit him, though Cruise has not formally committed and is expected to decide only after seeing a finalized draft. He is currently “loosely attached” to star.
If Cruise signs on, he would play Veer, a CIA agent who discovers that Russian intelligence has found a Brazilian man who is his exact double, intending to replace him as a covert mole inside the CIA.
The project comes as Cruise continues developing major franchises like “Mission: Impossible” and “Top Gun,” while Chaganty builds on his thriller work with films like “Searching” and “Run.” An odd team-up, especially with Cruise being very picky about the directors he works with, and Chaganty having not really proven himself beyond those two films—but Cruise clearly sees something in this script.
In the meantime, Cruise has “Digger” up next, already shot and set for an October release via Warner Bros. Is he really going to go the whole year without shooting a new film? It would be unusual for the typically work-driven Cruise, but if something does suddenly enter his schedule, it might be “Doppelgänger.”