Tom Cruise And Doug Liman’s ‘Mena’ Gets New Title, New Release Date
Doug Liman’sEdge of Tomorrowwas one of the most pleasant surprises of 2014, a genuinely thrilling sci-fi actioner that made the most ofTom Cruise’s charisma and turned Emily Blunt into a bonafide action star. So when we heard Liman and Cruise were reuniting forMena, we were all in. But it looks like it’ll be a while before we find out how their new project actually turned out.
Universal has pushed backMenaby over eight months, from January 2017 to fall. And while they were at it, they slapped on a new title as well:Menawill now be titledAmerican Made.
Originally set for June 27, 2025,American Madewill now openSeptember 29, 2017. Also due out that weekend is Sony’sEqualizersequel, withNinjagoand Joseph Kosinski’sGranite Mountainopening the week before. The new release date makes more sense, frankly. Early January tends to be the province of low-rent or low-profile pics that would struggle in more competitive seasons, or Oscar hopefuls undergoing nationwide expansion. Not so much high-profile Tom Cruise thrillers.
Gary Spinelliwrote the original screenplay forAmerican Made, which landed on the2014 Black List. The projectcaught Ron Howard’s attentionbut eventually wound up with Cruise and Limanin early 2015. Cruise stars as Barry Seal, a fired TWA pilot who becomes a drug smuggler for the Medellín cartel and then turns into an informant for the DEA and the CIA.
Liman has describedAmerican Madeas follows:
I love stories of improbable heroes working against the system, and Barry Seal took the government, and our country, for an unbelievable ride. Interpreting his story has the makings for an entertaining film that is equal parts satire, suspense and comedy—and always surprising.
Given all that,American Madeseems like the perfect title — it suggests an all-American tale with a dark, sardonic twist, and it’s definitely easier to understand thanMena.American Madealso starsDomhnall Gleeson,Jesse Plemons,Lola Kirke,Sarah Wright,Benito Martinez,Jayma Mays,E. Roger Mitchell,Alejandro Edda, andCaleb Landry Jones.
