Heralding the start of an unusual entrepreneurial relationship, Tom Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner said Monday that they are joining forces with Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins; Dwight Schar, chairman of homebuilder NVR Inc.; and Mark Shapiro, president and CEO of Six Flags Inc., the amusement park chain where Snyder serves as chairman of the board.

Snyder, Schar and Shapiro have formed an investment partnership, First and Goal Llc., which will invest in Cruise/Wagner Prods., providing the actor-producer's production company with development and overhead funds under a two-year deal with the option to renew long term. The deal was brokered by Cruise's agency, CAA.

Shapiro, who established ESPN Original Entertainment, ESPN's in-house film and production arm, will oversee First and Goal's initial investment with C/W.

The announcement comes less than a week after Viacom and its Paramount Pictures publicly revealed that negotiations to renew Paramount's 14-year deal with C/W had ended.

While the new partners declined to detail the financials of their arrangement, sources said First and Goal will fund the same level of overhead and development, about $2.5 million annually, that C/W had been negotiating with Paramount. That figure represents a step down from C/W's old deal at Paramount, which included about $4 million in overhead plus a $6 million discretionary fund.

"Dan Snyder and Mark Shapiro are proven winners," Cruise said. "Paula and I look forward to many mutual successes."

Added Snyder: "Paula and Tom have a superior instinct for developing and producing films with universal appeal. We are delighted to work with them in creating an alliance that goes beyond traditional film-financing models and serves as an exceptional investment for us."

Wagner is analyzing the future shape and size of C/W as she seeks new office space for herself, Cruise and their eight staffers. "Our arrangement is for overhead and development and what it takes to run a company," she said. "Our interest is in being on the threshold of where the business is going, into the future. We consider ourselves to be entrepreneurs."

While First and Goal addresses C/W's first need -- overhead and development -- C/W still is finalizing another deal for a production fund of about $100 million. Wagner said she can't yet reveal the identity of the equity investor involved.

But such maverick financiers as Snyder, Schar and Shapiro, having already made a commitment to C/W, could find themselves going on to finance individual projects, sources predicted. Insiders speculated that in return for its investment, First and Goal could be in a position to command some portion of Cruise's eventual producing fees and backend participations.

The deal represents a potential new model for financing stars' production companies, particularly if studios continue to pull back from backing deluxe production deals. Sources at CAA said they know of no other outside investment partnership that has taken a similar interest in a star's company. By contrast, Icon Entertainment, which Mel Gibson heads with his partner Bruce Davey, grew out of a successful foreign sales company before backing such Gibson films as "The Passion of the Christ" and the upcoming "Apocalpyto."

A year ago, after Snyder and longtime pal Schar, through Red Zone Llc., became majority shareholders in Six Flags, they brought in Shapiro, former exec vp programming and production at ESPN and ABC Sports, to run the amusement park chain. At the time, Snyder declared his interest in investing in entertainment properties.

CAA's team, led by Manny Nunez, Kevin Huvane, Rick Nicita and Tory Metzger, first approached the investors in mid-August, Shapiro said. "We wanted to develop a relationship. We weren't going to jump into anything," he said.

First and Goal was enthusiastic about investing in C/W when CAA brought the groups together. Several brainstorming meetings took place over the past few weeks. When Snyder met with Cruise, "They hit it off," according to one source close to the deal. "Tom was brought into the fold, what's not to be excited?" Shapiro said. "We're entrepreneurs who like to exploit new opportunities. This is an excellent chance to construct an innovative new model to deliver on both fronts."

C/W's partnership with First and Goal still is in its early stages, said Wagner, who still must hold discussions with Paramount about the many projects C/W has in development at the studio -- C/W probably will extricate some of the projects while continuing to produce others at Paramount. C/W also is actively setting up several movies separate from Paramount. For example, C/W is trying to reignite "Selling Time," with writer-director Spike Lee, sources said. "Our eyes are open to anything and everything," Wagner said.

On the distribution front, C/W expects to deal with the major studios on a project-by-project basis. Wagner said she doesn't necessarily want to nail down an exclusive distribution arrangement. C/W's film slate will range from high-concept movies to more personal, character-driven films, from starring vehicles for Cruise to the work of first-time filmmakers. As a free agent, Cruise could star in films for any of the studios.