Tom Cruise To Shoot Feature-Length Movie in Space

Tom Cruise's alleged new action-adventure flick will become the first movie to be shot entirely in Space, cementing him as one of the most prolific stunt performers/filmmakers of a generation

Tom Cruise performing a rooftop jump in 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' (CREDIT: Paramount)

by Jack Linsdell

Fresh off the presses, we got exciting news yesterday that Tom Cruise is developing a new action-adventure movie in partnership with NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX, to be filmed onboard the International Space Station. If this comes to fruition, and its apparently in very early stages of development, then this will be the first narrative, feature-length movie to be shot in outer Space. Now, Tom Cruise is no stranger to performing his own stunts. Ever since Brad Bird's 2011 action-epic Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, where he scaled the tallest building in the world (the Burj Khalifa), Cruise has continously pushed the boundaries of stunt performance and movie-making. This all culminated in his latest movies, Mission: Impossible - Fallout (where stunts included flying a helicopter, hanging from the bottom of a payload, jumping between buildings...and, oh, an in-camera skydive), and the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick, where he piloted a real fighter jet. Yet, this news is not just an extension to the series of crazy and jaw-dropping stunts Cruise has been entertaining audiences with for the last decade. No, this is on a different level. We're talking about an entire film set in Space (something never achieved before), and the complete logistical nightmare about how to get the crew, equipment and other cast onto the International Space Station makes this the most extreme challenge (forget stunt) that Cruise has tackled thus far. 

Deadline, who also broke the story, went on to confirm that this project is completely separate to the two upcoming Mission Impossible movies (thought to be the two-part finale to the series) currently in delayed production due to the Coronavirus. Therefore, this will not be part of the series and is a new project for Cruise. What makes this ironic is that during the Fallout press circuit, the movie's director Christopher McQuarrie (whose a long-time collaborator with Cruise on over ten movies, and now his right hand man) joked that a next Mission adventure could be set in Space as that was the only thing left for Cruise to achieve. At the time, I can't imagine he'd have ever realised that Cruise would actually take that joke as a serious idea. Except...he has. 

Anyway, no studio has been attached yet, although I'm sure Paramount Pictures will be the favourite considering their long-running collaboration with Cruise on the Jack Reacher, Mission: Impossible and Top Gun series, amongst others. Although, I'm imagining a heavy bidding war between studios because who wouldn't want their name attached to a project so innovative and first-of-it's-kind like this? Anyway, we also have no word on what director is attached to the project, although as mentioned, considering McQuarrie has been dragged onto pretty much every recent Cruise project since Jack Reacher in 2012, including co-writing the failed The Mummy reboot and Top Gun: Maverick, I wouldn't be surprised to see him involved in some way. Although, considering McQuarrie has his hands full with two Mission movies to come out by summer 2022, both of which are severely delayed due to pandemic, then I would be surprised if he wants to be involved, even if he has the time. Also, when Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was being developed for release in 2016, McQuarrie couldn't return to the director's chair because he was busy helming his first Ethan Hunt movie Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. Now, as producer, Cruise could develop both projects side by side, but, for obvious reasons, McQuarrie couldn't, so he had to drop out of Reacher 2 to be replaced by Edward Zwick. 

Now, this new, ambitious, space-set project could be a long-term development, meaning that by the time cameras are ready to roll, McQuarrie could be (or willing to be) available. However, this seems unlikely. As far as speculation goes, I wouldn't be surprised to see Doug Liman get the job, considering he has worked with Cruise on Edge of Tomorrow and American Made, the only two (not including The Mummy or Top Gun) non-McQuarrie helmed Cruise movies since 2012. Anyway, this is all speculation, and until more details are given, we won't know for sure. 

However, this news is exciting because it's a history-setting, record-book defining project, and in an era where theatrical movie-making is dying (even more so due to the pandemic), then it's up to filmmakers like Cruise to keep theatres open by taking on these ambitious and unique projects. That's why, even if you don't care for a Top Gun sequel, you'll still check out Top Gun: Maverick this year in cinemas because it's basically "Cruise and the cast flying real fighter jets and pushing boundaries of how to shoot aerial sequences". The point is that the post-Ghost Protocol Mission movies have been box office monsters because they have been the movies where Cruise has pushed boundaries around what can be achieved with stunt work and filmmaking in general. So, should we be surprised that Cruise is going into Space to shoot a movie? Not really. But, if this project really does come to fruition, it'll define Cruise has perhaps the greatest entertainer, stunt performer, movie-maker and innovator since...well...never!