--- title: "Tom Cruise Is Back In The Cockpit… As A Drug-Smuggler For The CIA" date: "2017-06-08" modified: "2017-06-08" authors: - name: "James Clark" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/james-clark/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/tom-cruise-american-made-drug-smuggler-cia/" categories: - "Culture" - "Entertainment" --- # Tom Cruise Is Back In The Cockpit… As A Drug-Smuggler For The CIA ![]() Tom Cruise is taking to the skies again. But this time it’s in a Piper Aerostar-600 loaded down with cocaine and guns, not an F-14 Tomcat. “American Made,” set for a Sept. 29 premiere, has Cruise playing Barry Seal, a commercial airline pilot who’s recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency to shuttle drugs and guns to and from South America. Check out the fresh trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBIJRAkujM Directed by Doug Liman, who worked with Cruise on “Edge of Tomorrow,” Universal’s “American Made” is [loosely based on the true story]() of Adler Berriman Seal and his misadventures with the CIA, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Medellin cartel. That probably means a movie jammed with explosions, a shootout, and a high-speed chase, all while Cruise sinks deeper into a CIA plot involving black-budget cash and cartel killers. Related: Tom Cruise Is Very Pleased With The New ‘Top Gun’ Sequel’s Name » The new trailer, which dropped June 5, comes on the heels of Cruise’s announcement that he’s signed on for a “Top Gun” sequel. So, if seeing the Hollywood action hero as a government-funded drug smuggler and arms runner isn’t for you, don’t fret: Maverick will be back. ## Author James Clark is the editor-in-chief of Task & Purpose. He is a former Marine and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()