After last week's Los Angeles premiere of "Batman Begins," which became a showcase for Cruise and girlfriend Katie Holmes' public displays of affection, Warner Bros. execs are hoping to keep the "War of the Worlds" star as far away from their red carpets as possible.
It looks like they'll get their wish for at least the next couple of premieres, since Holmes is in Europe — she's done the London and Paris premieres alone — and Cruise is in Japan promoting his film.
But sources say the lovebirds plan to meet up in Berlin, Rome and possibly Madrid in the next week and do press together. "They're each promoting their own movies," a Warner spokeswoman said.
Cruise is probably anxious to spend as much time as he can with the starlet and start her religious lessons now that she's admitted to the Associated Press that she's converting to the Church of Scientology. Katie seems to have forgotten that just a few months ago she told CosmoGirl magazine: "I was raised Catholic and I've always had faith in God. It gives me a lot of security."
Scientology, founded by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, is known for its members' cult-like devotion. Sources close to Holmes already credit her "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"-like behavior to her being brainwashed by the Scientologists.
"If there's a soul for the taking, they take it," a Hollywood source close to her said. "She was such a sweet girl and now she's just gone."
The "Dawson's Creek" star has already turned her career over to Cruise in the past two weeks by dropping her longtime manager and switching to Cruise's agents.
So far it's been a bad move. Holmes turned down the plum role of Edie Sedgwick in "Factory Girl," reportedly at Cruise's behest, and then was passed over for "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Rock It Girl."
One role still in the hopper is "Wonder Woman," a picture based on the Marvel Comics heroine — but sources say Holmes is a long shot.
While her agents at Creative Artists Agency are said to be "desperate" to get Holmes the "Wonder Woman" role, one source said that producers feel "she doesn't have the chops to carry an entire film."
Holmes' representative said: "I don't know anything about this."
maybe i am over-reacting, but they sound like they have an abusive relationship to me. not that he hits her, but he wants to control everything and isolate her, which is a classic sign of an abuser. she's turning to his religion, turning over the handling of her career, and people are saying she doesn't see her friends anymore. so she's ending up totally isolated and under his control.