Actor Tom Cruise has found a new backer in Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, just days after he was dropped by Paramount for his off-screen conduct.

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Snyder and his partners, homebuilder Dwight C. Schar and Six Flags chief executive Mark Shapiro, have made a two-year deal with Cruise's production company, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Cruise's new backers will pay between $3 million and $10 million annually for development and overhead costs in exchange for the opportunity to finance projects and to profit from the movies.

The deal with Cruise marks Snyder's latest addition to his growing entertainment empire. After having made his fortune by making the Redskins into one of the most valuable franchises in professional sports, he won control of the dying theme park operator Six Flags Inc.

He then recruited Shapiro, a former ESPN programming executive, to run Six Flags Inc. and Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein to sit on the board. Snyder also owns five radio stations.