May 10, 2002
Tom Cruise is going to the H.G. Wells well for his next project, a remake of the sci-fi classic "The War Of The Worlds."

Variety reports Cruise will co-produce the film with his partner Paula Wagner and Paramount. There's a chance he'll also star in the project, which is scheduled to begin shooting in 2003.

The original novel was published in 1898 and detailed the valiant efforts of earthlings to fend off an invasion from Mars.

Although the story was adapted for the movies in 1953 by producer George Pal and as a 1988 TV mini-series, "War Of The Worlds'" most famous incarnation was a 1938 radio-play helmed by Orson Welles. The show, which told the story through realistic news reports, convinced some listeners that an actual invasion was underway, and caused widespread panic.