Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One's Tom Cruise takes his stunt game to new heights, quite literally, in the upcoming spy thriller sequel thanks to a speedflying stunt that took years to perfect.
Paramount Pictures released a featurette ahead of Dead Reckoning Part One's release showcasing behind-the-scenes footage of Cruise's speedflying stunt for the film. Cruise takes to the sky for a pivotal scene in the seventh Mission: Impossible movie, zooming down a mountain at a breakneck pace. "We've been training for a few years now and we're always looking for the most dynamic way to shoot this," Cruise said while director Christopher McQuarrie broke down the technical challenges of the stunt, using a gimbal system with cameras to best capture the death-defying act. "Flying very close to rocks looks quite beautiful, behind the scenes, we were in absolute terror," McQuarrie said. "It is truly a one-of-a-kind adventure."
Cruise's stunt work has been a staple throughout the Mission: Impossible franchise, bringing as much realism to the series' action sequences as possible and earning acclaim for his work. However, the 60-year-old actor's stunts have raised concerns from his co-stars given their high risk factor, with some fearing he wouldn't make it out of filming Dead Reckoning Part One alive. Simon Pegg, who has starred alongside Cruise in every Mission: Impossible film since the 2006 threequel, expressed fear Cruise may go too far one day and lose his life due to his penchant for stunts. Cruise, however, hasn't been phased by these concerns.
Mission: Impossible Keeps Cruising On
Filming for Dead Reckoning Part One wrapped at the end of April. Cruise seemingly has no intention to dial back his adventurous antics as Ethan Hunt, the daring IMF agent central to the Mission: Impossible story. At the Rome premiere of Dead Reckoning Part One, Cruise said he intends to "fight for big theaters" going forward.
Cruise will reprise his role for the 2024 follow-up, Dead Reckoning Part Two, which has recently seen some production hiccups due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. Despite initial speculation, Dead Reckoning Part Two won't mark the series' close, as McQuarrie recently hinted at a potential Mission: Impossible 9. It's unknown, however, if a ninth film will include Cruise's Hunt or whether he'll be succeeded in the lead role.
Dead Reckoning Part One sees Cruise star alongside Pegg, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Hayley Atwell and Rebecca Ferguson, with Hunt taking on one of his most dangerous missions yet while being forced to confront old demons and consider the well-being of his loved ones. Early reviews of Dead Reckoning Part One have deemed the film as one of the best Mission: Impossible movies to date.
Fans can see Cruise in action when Dead Reckoning Part One opens in theaters across North America on Jul. 12.
Source: YouTube