International film star Tom Cruise has struck a deal with movie giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) to resurrect the legendary film studio United Artists.

In a statement released Thursday, MGM said Cruise and his production partner Paula Wagner will relaunch the studio founded by several movie stars in 1919.

It said Cruise and Wagner will have full control of the development and production of movie projects, which will start out at about four films per year.

The deal comes two months after Cruise was dropped from his 14-year production deal with rival studio Paramount Pictures. That company's chairman, Sumner Redstone, said the film star's contract had not been renewed because the actor's conduct had hurt attendance for his latest film, Mission Impossible III.

The actor has been criticized for his controversial behavior during several recent television appearances.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.