Tom Cruise Eyed as Charles Manson in Quentin Tarantino's 'Helter Skelter'
Tom Cruise's next role could be another career-defining choice. The "Mission Impossible" actor is reportedly being eyed to play the mass murderer Charles Manson in Quentin Tarantino's "Helter Skelter."
Warner Bros reportedly wants Cruise to take on the role if the studio lands the project from the famed writer and director. The film will take place in the 1960s with the Manson murders as the backdrop.
Tarantino won't make Manson the central character of his new movie. Instead, it will follow the same treatment as "Inglorious Basterds," which took place during Hitler's era, where the dictator's presence was featured but the main characters were people associated with him.
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Earlier, rumors also surfaced that Tarantino also wants Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio involved in this project with Cruise in a key role. Pitt and DiCaprio already worked with Tarantino in films like "Inglorious Basterds" and "Django Unchained," but he has never done a movie with Cruise.
Tarantino also apparently wants Margot Robbie to play Hollywood actress Sharon Tate in his upcoming movie. Manson murdered Tate at her home in Los Angeles along with her friends, while they were having a party.
"I would kill to work with [Tarantino]," Robbie declared. The "I, Tonya" star, however, said that despite the rumors, nothing is still official. Jennifer Lawrence is also in the running for the same role.
It's also unclear if Tarantino's film will be titled "Helter Skelter." The term refers to the racial war that Manson's cult group promoted. It also inspired Beatles to name their song based on the Manson murders.
If all things go to plan, then filming will take place in mid-2018 with a potential theater release in late 2019.
Meanwhile, Manson was sent to prison in 1971 for first-degree murder and conspiring to murder. He served a life sentence until his death at age 83 last November 2017.
