Not many people know about the star’s questionable clause

If you were hoping to get your hands on a Top Gun tee, you might be waiting quite a while.

Tom Cruise is arguably one of the biggest actor’s in the world and is thought to make as much as $50 million a year.

He’s even recently signed a historic deal with Warner Bros. in what is being helmed as a new ‘strategic partnership’ between them.

The deal thought to have been signed in early 2024 will see Cruise develop and produce theatrical films with Warner Bros. Discovery, Variety reported at the time.

The partnership has given Edge of Tomorrow fans renewed hope that there may now finally be a sequel as Warner Bros. was the original studio behind the cult classic.

But there’s a key element that won’t be part of his contract if the sequel ever does happen; and it’s said to have long been part of Cruise’s movie deals.

Typically blockbuster movies have merchandise to go with it (hello Edward Vs. Jacob Twilight T-shirts), but you might have noticed that there’s never any Top Gun sweatshirts or mini Ethan Hunt figurines for people to buy.


Mike Coppola/WireImage

And that’s reportedly because Cruise has a clause that prohibits anyone using his likeness for merch.

In 2006, the Edge of Tomorrow star also apparently refused to have his image used for both Mission: Impossible III and War of the Worlds PlayStation games.

And as for the 2002 Minority Report game, the main character had a blonde head of short hair – a stark contrast from Cruise’s distinctive brunette shaggy hair-do.

At the time, MTV said that whenever he was asked about lending his likeness to a game, Cruise’s agent declined to comment.

And while there may be some unofficial merch of the A-lister floating about, it has been confirmed that none of these have been officially licensed by either Cruise or the production company.


Don Arnold/WireImage

The clause is likely to been enforced in Cruise’s new Top Gun 3 contract, with the movie having been confirmed to be works earlier this year following the unquestionable global success of Top Gun: Maverick.

The new movie is expected to reunite Cruise with Miles Teller and Anyone But You star Glen Powell, who played young pilots Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw and Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin in the second movie.

Producers Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison are also expected to return for the third movie, while Maverick director Joe Kosinski will reportedly make a comeback to either direct or produce.