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The Real Reason Tom Cruise Didn't Play Iron Man

Tom Cruise reveals his reason for rejecting the offer to play Iron Man.

Tom Cruise almost played Iron Man

Tom Cruise is currently crushing it at the box office with his new film Top Gun: Maverick. Cruise managed to get to the biggest opening of his career with his first $100M weekend. Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 classic Top Gun.

Top Gun: Maverick

However, things could have been very different for Cruise if he had made one particular casting choice back in 2008.

According to reports, Cruise was approached by Marvel Studios to star as Tony Stark in the first Iron Man movie. Cruise apparently said "no" ultimately leading Marvel to choose Robert Downey Jr. instead. Interesting to note that RDJ wasn't the first choice to play Tony Stark but looking back, we're glad Cruise rejected the offer.

Cruise is now opening up about his reasons for declining the offer.

"Marvel Studios came to me at a certain time and, when I do something, I want to do it right," Cruise said. "If I commit to something, it has to be done in a way that I know it's going to be something special.

"And while everything lined up, it didn't feel like it was going to work for me. I have to be able to make decisions and make the movie the best it can be, and it just didn't go that way."

Cruise would not have had much control over the production as he usually does and with the dominant Marvel machine, I don't think Cruise would have been a good fit. Cruise wanted control over the project and Marvel Studios couldn't offer that.

Iron Man went on to make $585M on a budget of $140M.

You can see Tom Cruise in theaters right now in Top Gun: Maverick.