Tom Cruise’s Fantasy Film Journey: Revisiting ‘Legend’
In the years leading up to his meteoric rise with Top Gun, Tom Cruise found himself involved in a film project that he may prefer to leave behind: Legend. This fantasy film, which premiered nearly four decades ago, features Cruise as Jack, a hero on a quest to save Princess Lili, played by Mia Sara, from the clutches of the malevolent Lord of Darkness, portrayed by Tim Curry. This dark fantasy revolves around Jack’s effort to preserve unicorns and avert an eternal night.
The film’s inception can be traced back to Ridley Scott’s collaboration with author William Hjortsberg, who was tasked with crafting a fairy-tale narrative. In a 2002 reflection, Hjortsberg recounted that Scott envisioned a story rich with mythical creatures, stating, “Ridley said he wanted the story to include unicorns: ‘The fastest steed on earth.'” Hjortsberg noted that the script flowed from his imagination, driven by essential elements such as a quest for a ring, mystical unicorns, and the evocative imagery of eternal winter.
Following the success of Risky Business in 1983, Cruise was eager to take on new challenges. However, the lengthy production of Legend was marred by setbacks, including a major fire that devastated the Pinewood Studios set just three months into filming. Reflecting on the arduous experience, Cruise remarked to Interview in 1986, “I don’t know how Harrison Ford has done so many of those types of films.” He also expressed his frustration in Rolling Stone, asserting, “I’ll never want to do another picture like that again.”
Legend made its debut at the Venice Film Festival in 1985, where festival president Gian Luigi Rondi praised it as “a film of unusual beauty, a visual treat, an aesthetic delight.” Despite the acclaim, the film’s box office earnings were modest upon its release by Universal on April 18, 1986, accumulating $23 million, which equates to approximately $66 million today.
Interestingly, the world of unicorns is set to make a comeback in cinema with A24’s upcoming release, Death of a Unicorn, scheduled to hit theaters on March 28. This new film stars popular actors Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, reigniting interest in these mythical creatures within contemporary storytelling.
This retrospective article originally appeared in the March 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. For more insights and discussions on cinema, click here to subscribe.