Sudhanshu Shekhar
Just when you thought Tom Cruise achieved his greatest possible cinematic triumph with the success of the Top Gun sequel, the blockbuster star comes up with an idea that is, quite literally, out of this world.
A certified skydiver, helicopter pilot, and world-accomplished daredevil, Cruise is known for forgoing a stuntman or CGI alternatives and taping the high-flying action himself. After doing every possible stunt on Earth, actor Tom Cruise now might blast off into space to perform a spacewalk for his upcoming film. The 60-year-old Hollywood star has teamed up with The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman on a movie pitch that involves filming in space – the plans of which were first reported in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the project.
Cruise and Doug Liman are said to have reached out to Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (UFEG) on an idea that will see the actor take a rocket up to the International Space Station. The space-bound project is tentatively in partnership with Elon Musk’s private spaceflight company SpaceX, which has piloted several crewed missions to the International Space Station. The actor would tape just a segment of the film while suspended in weightlessness onboard the International Space Station. The project is still in its early stages of development and no release date, or launch date, is known yet. NASA will play a pivotal role in the film.
If the film gets off the ground, Cruise would be the first movie star to shoot in outer space on the International Space Station.
While the move is certainly unprecedented, it’s fair to say it’s unsurprising that Cruise is setting his sights on space, with the Jerry Maguire actor renowned for his ambitious stunt work.
