Jesse Plemons and Domhnall Gleeson join Tom Cruise in Doug Liman’s Mena

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Tom Cruise has reunited with his EDGE OF TOMORROW director Doug Liman for MENA, which chronicles the life of Barry Seal, a hustler and TWA pilot who was unexpectedly recruited by the CIA to run one of the biggest covert operations in U.S. history; one that spawned the birth of the Medellin cartel and eventually almost brought down the Reagan White House through the Iran Contra scandal. The mega-star will take on the lead role of Barry Seal and a wide array of talented young actors and actresses are set to join him. Jesse Plemons and Domhnall Gleeson have joined Tom Cruise in the cast of MENA, which also includes Sarah Wright, Caleb Landry Jones, Jayma Mays, Benito Martinez, E. Roger Mitchell, Lola Kirke, and Alejandro Edda.

Director Doug Liman said the following in a statement about MENA:

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.

EDGE OF TOMORROW, the last Liman/Cruise collaboration, was a definite high point of 2014 (I only wish it had been more successful) so I'm eager to see what the pair have cooked up for us next. MENA has already begun filming in Georgia and several shots of Cruise dressed in some delightful 80's garb have appeared.

Either Tom has a lot of change in his pocket or he's…oh wait, no; it's change, my mistake. MENA is set to be released on January 6, 2017, which seems an odd date for a Tom Cruise picture so perhaps we'll see that release date change in the future. We can look forward to more Cruise on our screens when MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION premieres on July 31, 2015.