And so Tom Cruise, got his honorary Oscar Award, for his legacy in cinema. Years of Ethan Hunt running from enemies, hanging from helicopters, swerving around corners on Harleys, flying Honda Jets, leaping off buildings, diffusing bombs, breaking his own bones — an amazing career. Just running, running, jumping, ducking! The Academy Committee thought it was time to give the great man something of note. Why they gave it to him in November, and not just waited for March 2026 I’ve not understood. But, hey, ours is not to question. Point is that he now has an Oscar.
Standing next to Cruise, as he spoke about “how grateful he was”, was Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Innaritu. A cinematic marriage made in heaven, as the director of Birdman and the hero of Top Gun announced they were collaborating on a new film at this Oscar ceremony. The film is still untitled. But the expectations are huge.
When the duo were asked what the untitled film was about, both were cagey, “It’s about …well, the most powerful man in the world causes a disaster and embarks on a mission to prove that he is the saviour of humanity.” This was a Wikipedia-type synopsis, as vague as you could get.
So I dug deeper, made enquiries, and bribed. I mean, this is the first original role that Cruise was doing in years, how many years can you keep “ragdaoing” Mission Impossible and Top Gun, right? And if he was being directed by the greatest living director, it was bound to be something special and out-of-the-box.
I decided to interview Innaritu and Cruise myself. Finally they relented.
Innaritu said to me, “it’s a disaster movie-cum-action thriller-cum-rom com-cum-political mystery-cum adventure — there are many films being planned, we’re creating a new spy universe called the ‘Z’ series — it is loosely based on the life of the new New York Mayor, elect Zohran Mamdani”. Cruise continued, “I play a fictitious character called Zohran, ‘Z’ for short. He is a politician, also a pilot, a parachutist, a professional assassin all rolled into one.
You see Mamdani has many enemies after him, everyone is out to get him, Hamas, ISIS, POTUS, and Fascists.
The Jews, the Palestinians, old time New Yorkers, Blue Collar Billionaires, Elon Musk, Banjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, JD Vance, Chinese chefs in Manhattan, Jewish Rabbis, Cuomo, Sliwa, all Republicans, all ‘uncles’ who are scared of change, anyone who feels that Mamdani is a young upstart and needs to be put in his place — his enemies call him, brown, black, anti-white, Communist, Socialist, Red etc. You know he’s at the White House as we speak. He’s actually meeting with the Prezzie. How real-life this will be — no Marvel type make-believe. This will be reality type drama, the viewer will feel he is running, fighting, ducking bullets with me.
Look, Zohran, sorry the character I play, Zorrowitz, Zorro for short, will be a huge star. It’s a mission impossible situation, resulting in a mission impossible type film.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked
“For Zohran to be elected against all odds, then stay in power, without assassination attempts on him, just seems mission impossible!” Cruise said
“What’s the film or in this case the films being called?”
Cruise and Innaritu said — “There are many titles being considered—
Mission Impossible 10. Man in Manhattan, Don’t Mess With The Zohran, The Mark of Zohran, and Zohran the Great,” they concluded proudly.
Rahul daCunha is an adman, theatre director/playwright, filmmaker and traveller. Reach him at rahul.dacunha@mid-day.com