After circling the project for a while now, Tom Cruise has been confirmed to star in a new sci-fi film called Oblivion. The film will be directed by Joseph Kosinski, whose last effort was the divisive Tron: Legacy. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where people live above the clouds due to Earth’s surface becoming uninhabitable. “Cruise will play a soldier who’s stuck alone on the planet, repairing the drones that patrol and destroy a savage alien life form.” When he encounters a woman who crash lands onto Earth, his whole worldview is put into question. Formerly housed at Disney, Universal will now handle financing and distribution of the $100 million movie. Production is already set to begin in October.

In addition to the film, the story will be translated into a graphic novel, due out later this year. Kosinski originally came up with the idea for the film during the lengthy Tron: Legacy production. It resulted in a script from William Monaghan (The Departed) with a rewrite by Karl Gajdusek (Dead Like Me).

I like the idea of Cruise returning to science-fiction for sure, though the plot description sounds like a cross between I Am Legend and Wall-E. Kosinski seems like he has potential, given the right material. And since he originated the idea, maybe he’ll have a clearer vision for the film. What are your thoughts on Tom Cruise returning to the realm of sci-fi with Oblivion?