Rumored Tom Cruise Rodeo Flick Coming Up?

Rumored Tom Cruise Rodeo Flick Coming Up?

Alberta may have lost the Man of Steel to the Windy City, but local industry insiders says the province is still in the running for an all-star rodeo film, with Tom Cruise rumoured to be interested in playing the lead.

The sources confirmed to the Herald that scouts have been in Alberta looking at locations for the film, which has gone by the names Freebird, Final Go and Paper Wings. At one point, Cruise and Reese Witherspoon were attached.

Still, it remains in pre-production and is a long way from confirming locations.

"They liked everything they found in Alberta," says one insider. "It's a natural. We've got the bulls, we've got the contractors, we've got the riders. We can beat anybody else out in those aspects."

As early as a year ago, the L.A. Times reported that Cruise and Witherspoon were attached to the project, which was then called Paper Wings. Cruise would play a rodeo champ who falls in love with a country singer played by Witherspoon. Actor Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment was named as the film's producer. While still in the early stages, the possibility of Cruise in a rodeo picture had already raised the ire of American animal-rights organizations. Cruise has reportedly been spotted behind the chutes at various rodeos in California. The sources told the Herald that, if Alberta is chosen as a location, filming could start later in the year.

When asked about the possibility of a Cruise production heading here, culture minister Lindsay Blackett said he had "no comment."