Updated 02:05 AM EDT, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Tom Cruise Meets With Colombian City Mayor for Drug Thriller 'Mena'

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Tom Cruise had a meeting with Anibal Gaviria, the mayor of the Colombian city of Medellín, on Saturday to talk about the filming of "Mena."

According to Fox News Latino, the 53-year-old movie star arrived in the city on Thursday, Aug. 20, and is set to stay there for a few more days.

Gaviria said that his "friendly and productive meeting with Cruise lasted for "more than an hour," adding that the Medellin Film Commission members and Dinamo Producciones executive Andres Calderon were also there in the gathering, the news outlet added.

Cruise thanked the officials for their support and said that the city made him "comfortable," Gaviria noted. The mayor also revealed that Cruise is residing in Medellin and has "gone to different restaurants to eat and has spent time with the people," as reported by Fox News Latino.

Gaviria said that the "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" star was amazed by the stunning mountains in Medellin. As quoted by the news outlet, the government official explained, "His comments about the city were positive and he has an extremely positive impression of Colombia."

The Hollywood A-lister also shared some ideas on how to transform Medellin into the 'film industry capital of Latin America," Fox News Latino reported.

Universal Pictures' "Mena," a thriller slated for a Jan. 6, 2017 release date in theaters, will be directed by Doug Liman, who also helmed Cruise's 2014 sci-fi film "Edge of Tomorrow," Deadline reported.

The actor will portray Barry Seal, a hustler and pilot who worked with drug cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar before being recruited by the CIA as an informant and to "run one of the biggest covert operations in U.S. history," the news outlet wrote.

"I love stories of improbable heroes working against the system, and Barry Seal took the government, and our country, for an unbelievable ride," said Liman, as quoted by Deadline. "Interpreting his story has the makings for an entertaining film that is equal parts satire, suspense and comedy-and always surprising."

Also starring in "Mena" are Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jesse Plemons, Caleb Landry Jones, Jayma Mays, Benito Martinez, E. Roger Mitchell, Lola Kirke, and Alejandro Edda, Deadline listed. Cross Creek Pictures is fully financing the project. Serving as producers are Cross Creek's Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson, along with Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer and Kim Roth and Quadrant Pictures' Doug Davison.

Variety reported that "Mena" started shooting in Atlanta in May. Throughout July production took place in various counties in Georgia including Cherokee, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinett, Morgan, and Pickens.

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