Cruise, Carrey Want Star Vehicles on Broadway

Following a recent trend of A-list movie actors enjoying successful runs on the Broadway stage, (think Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington), it appears that matinee idol Tom Cruise and funnyman Jim Carrey are now on the hunt for their own shot at the Tony.

According to the New York Post's Michael Riedel, Cruise's 'people' are currently searching for the right vehicle to make their client as successful as Hanks, who this year picked up a Tony nomination for his performance in "Lucky Guy."

In addition to raking in $2 million for his limited-run Broadway debut, Hanks is reportedly being offered several millions more by Russian and Japanese producers if he agrees to repeat his performance in their countries for just one or two weeks. "The Russians will pay anything for a star," says an industry source. "These are going to be some serious paydays."

The producer behind Hanks success, Colin Callender, is now developing "a series of star-driven vehicles," starring such top names as comedian Jim Carrey, reports Riedel.

Other stars who have successfully followed the new business model include 'Wolverine' star Hugh Jackman who, after making big bucks in Broadway's "The Boy From Oz," brought a watered-down edition of the show to his native Australia and made, "obscene amounts of money," according to an Australian producer.

And after a summer of big-budget Hollywood flops, director Steven Soderbergh is giving up on the movie industry and instead, turning his attention to upcoming Broadway-bound projects "Magic Mike," "Behind the Candelabra" and "The Library," a new play which follows the tragic Columbine massacre that he will direct at the Public Theater.

Other big names heading to the Great White Way in the next few months include Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz in "Betrayal," and the just-announced Denzel Washington in "A Raisin in the Sun," with Diahann Carroll and Anika Noni Rose.

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