After pictures appeared on line last week showing Tom Cruise completing some preparatory training for the stunts ofMission: Impossible 8, it was only a matter of time before we were given a glimpse of the man in action as new on location filming has proved. It is well documented that Cruise is particularly hands on when it comes to performing the majority of his own stunts in his movies, and it looks like almost-60 year old isn’t ready to give that up just yet.
The original plan by director Christopher McQuarrie was to film bothMission: Impossible 7and 8 back to back, but the Covid pandemic put a massive kink in that idea and when the first of the sequels wrapped in September, there needed to be a short break before the cast and crew were able to get back to work on the second one, which kicked off filming late in November. Since then we have seen numerous images ofTom Cruisetaking flight lessons in preparation for the stunts he will have to perform in the latest installments of the franchise.
Thenew adventures for Ethan Huntalso see the return of Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, and Rebecca Ferguson. The franchise’s new stars include Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales, and Henry Czerny, who returns to the series for the first time since the original 1996 film as IMF lead Eugene Kittridge.
The new pictures from the location shoot see Cruise performing the kind of stunt that would have many actors hanging up their Hollywood boots for good, as he climbs out of a 1941 Boeing B75N1 Stearman biplane a nerve-shredding 2000 feet off the ground and sits on the edge of the wing before dangling himself upside down. The plane then flipped over so the actor was then sitting upright while the plane flew upside down.
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Cruise has always been at the top of his game when it comes to going the extra mile for his movies, something he was happy to do talk about when appearing on theGraham Norton Show.Reminiscing about the years he has spent performing his own stunts and suffering for it, the actor said:
“I am a very physical actor, and I love doing them. I study and train and take a lot of time figuring it all out. I have broken a lot of bones. The first time of any stunt is nerve-wracking, but it also exhilarating. I have been told a few times during shooting a stunt to stop smiling.”
Cruise has a number of much anticipated movies in the pipeline ready to go thanks to numerous release changes due to the Covid pandemic.Mission: Impossible 7is now scheduled to arrive in cinemas next year, along with the other big sequel ofTop Gun: Maverickwhich was also originally expected to arrive in theaters this year. Rather than resting on his laurels, Cruise will bringMission: Impossible 8to screens in July 2023 and will be once again teaming with McQuarrie and potentiallyEdge of Tomorrowdirector Doug Liman on an untitled movie which is set to include some sequences filmed in space in collaboration with SpaceX.
