Tom Cruise can truly prove his real worth as an action star—but only if he follows Dwayne Johnson’s suit.

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Dwayne Johnson has recently decided to switch lanes as he reportedly signs up to work with a filmmaker working for A24 Studios.
Tom Cruise should follow his lead and stop sticking to the specific action films like his Mission: Impossible franchise, in order to prove his real worth as an action star.
If Cruise indeed follows the advice, he just might end up proving a Simon Pegg prediction about him right.

Dwayne Johnson has taught one too many lessons to people and has excelled in a range of industries—be it wrestling, entrepreneurship, or simply entertainment.

Following suit, a recent decision of the multifaceted star can prove to be influential for a fellow peer of the Rock.

Dwayne Johnson (@therock | Instagram)
In fact, if anything, Johnson’s swift career jumps should be taken as a lesson by Tom Cruise.

The actor might end up being encouraged to give up his massively popular Mission: Impossible franchise in a bid to prove his real worth to the world.

How Dwayne Johnson’s Career Choices Can Help Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible
As per recent reports, Dwayne The Rock Johnson is taking on a new dramatic role as a mixed martial arts fighter for the big screen. This role is none other than that of the former professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, Mark Kerr, in Benny Safdie‘s next for A24, The Smashing Machine.

The career jump here that the People’s Champ has made isn’t quite with respect to taking on the role itself.

Instead, it is his decision to work with a director who is currently working for A24, undoubtedly one of the most interesting companies in the industry.

Previously, Dwayne Johnson had been working with recurring directors like Brad Peyton and Jaume Collet-Serra on ‘safe’ hits like Rampage and Jungle Cruise, which represent minimal to no creative risk.

However, with The Smashing Machine, that trend is unquestionably heading to an end.

Now, on to the Tom Cruise part: How can this help the Ethan Hunt actor, and why must this induce him to leave his ultimate Mission: Impossible franchise?

Well, to put it simply, both Cruise and Johnson have made similar choices when it comes to their career, especially the one to ‘stay in one lane’.

This comes after observing the former’s movie choices like Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and Top Gun: Maverick, which further proves the point.

Thus, after the countless Mission: Impossible sequels with his Ethan Hunt impressions, it appears to be the right time for Tom Cruise to return to the big screen as ‘just’ an action star.

If Tom Cruise Agrees, Simon Pegg’s Predictions Of Him May Come True

Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible
While it seems undeniably necessary for Tom Cruise to ditch the specific action lane he is currently staying in to finally prove his worth as a normal yet admirable action star, if The Mummy star truly agrees, Simon Pegg‘s predictions about him just might come true.

During a recent interview with the Independent, Cruise’s Mission: Impossible co-star was asked if he would like to work with him in movies beyond the ones from the Mission: Impossible franchise.

While answering to that, Pegg predicted what would happen if Cruise shifted lanes. He said:
“I love working with Tom [Cruise] and he’s really good fun to work with, but I get the feeling that when Tom goes off and does other things, it’ll be a completely different thing.”
That answer is unarguably justified, considering the masterpieces Cruise made before completely diving into the Mission: Impossible film series, like Magnolia, Few Good Men, and Born on the Fourth of July. As Simon Pegg continued to say:
“He has a whole other age to come in his career. He’s a very good actor, a very, very good actor – as we’ve seen in Magnolia and Jerry Maguire… I think when he finally stops jumping off s***, he’ll have a third act.”
Although Tom Cruise previously stated his wish to continue making films for the Mission: Impossible franchise until he’s well into his 80s like Harrison Ford, perhaps all these new reasons may convince him to step back? Perhaps.