Why pictures of Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas prove they are NOT dating

It is strictly business for Tom Cruise and Ana De Armas, who despite looking cozy while out and about in London, are not dating.

The actors were twice pictured arriving at a heliport in Battersea, south west London, last week, just one month after they dined out around Valentine’s Day.

But insiders tell DailyMail.com that Tom’s intentions are far from romantic, with the actor believed to be eyeing up Ana for future projects, including a Days of Thunder sequel following his successful Top Gun: Maverick revival.

‘Everything with Tom and Ana is innocent,’ the source said. ‘They are hanging out to talk about future movies that they could do together. 

‘One of those ideas is the Days of Thunder sequel that Tom wants to get off the ground. It is currently in its infancy.

‘He’s talking [to Paramount] about and It’s going to be what comes together first in terms of a script. It depends on the idea and, ultimately, the script.’ 

The rumor mill has been in overdrive since the duo were first pictured in London’s Soho on February 13. 

They were mobbed by fans and stopped to take pictures as a crowd formed around them.

The A-list pairing put on animated display and carried two bags of takeaway food on their way out of the restaurant, before hopping into a taxi together.

Sources at the time told People they were ‘discussing potential collaborations down the line,’ and had ‘no romantic connection.’ 

Last week they were all smiles as they touched down at a heliport in Battersea. They were joined by director Doug Liman.

But with decades as one of Hollywood’s leading men, Tom has mastered the art of keeping his private life out of the spotlight, and if he was dating Ana, nobody would know about it. 

‘Tom manages to shield his private life, so if he was dating Ana, nobody would have seen them in the first place,’ the insider continued. ‘The fact they have been seen together is because it is friendly.’

But he is interested to see if they have any ‘chemistry.’ 

‘He loves her work, and he always wants to work with the best,’ they continued. ‘He wants to see if they have any chemistry and any similar ideas.’

Tom has been married three times, first to Mimi Rogers, then Nicole Kidman, with whom he has son Connor and daughter Isabella. His third trip up the aisle was with Katie Holmes. The couple share daughter Suri, 18, who Tom has been estranged from for years.

He has remained coy about his dating life. Despite being linked to Hayley Atwell and Sofia Vergara, he has never confirmed the speculation. Hayley described the rumors as ‘grubby.’

Last year he was believed to be dating Russian socialite Elsina Khayrova, 36, the daughter of a prominent Russian MP and ex-wife of diamond-trading oligarch Dmitry Tsvetkov.

Within weeks they had ‘split,’ reportedly due to Tsvetkov’s warning to Tom to ‘keep his eyes and wallet wide open.’

Meanwhile, Ana was pictured kissing Manuel Anido Cuesta during a night in Madrid, Spain, in November.

The romantic move appeared to indicate that she had ended her relationship with Tinder Vice President Paul Boukadakis, whom she began dating in the wake of her split from Ben Affleck.

The two looked loved-up on an after-dinner stroll, during which Ana locked arms with Manuel, who is an advisor to his father.

Tom is said to be a fan of Ana’s repertoire of work and is weighing up bringing her on board for his potential sequel to his 1990 NASCAR racing film Days of Thunder.

The film, which made $157 million globally with a production budget of $60 million, was not well received, but Tom is reportedly spurred on by the success of his Top Gun revival.

Sources previously told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘He’s talking [to Paramount] about Top Gun and Days of Thunder. 

‘It’s going to be what comes together first in terms of a script. It depends on the idea and, ultimately, the script.’