It was so few months ago, when the world was innocent and Tom Cruise was walking around under the shadow of that couch-jumping thing. But now it's February 2009, Valkyrie is an international success, and like it or not, Tom Cruise is once again a hot property.

That's the basic gist of a Variety article this morning, which runs down all the projects Cruise is considering, signed on to, or being relentlessly pursued for. They include everything from The Matarese Circle, which he signed on for last week, to no less than two romantic comedies, one opposite Cameron Diaz and the other opposite Ziyi Zhang (and directed by Danish auteur Susanne Bier).

None of the projects listed in the article are new to us, including the Hardy Men movie with Ben Stiller and the presidential drama Motorcade. But it is surprising to learn that Cruise is wanted for all of these projects, and kind of horrifying to think of a future in which Tom Cruise is in every single movie, regardless of how good a fit he is. I doubt that'll happen, but this article sure will give you pause.