Tom Cruise Forces Director onto Plane Wing to Prove Stunt Feasibility

Legendary actor Tom Cruise has truly embodied the spirit of "impossible" in the Mission: Impossible franchise, and he's taken it to new heights with the eighth installment, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. During a recent press conference in Tokyo, Cruise shared intriguing details about the film's stunts, revealing that director Christopher McQuarrie challenged him with feats that were, quite literally, impossible.

Cruise recounted a conversation with McQuarrie about the stunts, saying, "And then we talked about the story and [McQuarrie] was like, 'Okay, I want you to go from here to here in a couple of seconds.' I was like, 'I can't do that.' He's like, 'Okay, well, I want you to do this and this.' I was like, 'I really can't do that.'" McQuarrie, reflecting on the stunt that stumped Cruise, noted, "It was the simplest thing. Anything you'd describe, [he'd] say, 'No, you actually can't do that.' And I don't hear 'can't' from him."

Despite having performed numerous death-defying stunts in previous Mission: Impossible films, Cruise's experience highlighted the challenges of this particular stunt. He explained, "I said, 'Just in terms of the speed, because the force of the air, for me to move quickly on the wing was… You just can't do it,'" emphasizing the physical limitations due to the aircraft's speed and the force of the wind. To help McQuarrie understand, Cruise arranged a "20-minute tutorial" where McQuarrie experienced the stunt firsthand. "You're limited by the physics of how fast the aircraft is traveling and the force of the wind, that was utterly brutal. So I just said, 'Listen, I think the best thing is if you just do it. Go out, sit in the airplane, go out on the wing, and feel it. Feel the pressure. So, here I am, training him."

McQuarrie enjoyed the experience, saying, "It was great, actually. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I would definitely do it again." Cruise also mentioned that he had been training for this stunt for years, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right aircraft to make it work.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is set to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival from May 13 to May 24, 2025, before captivating audiences worldwide in theaters starting May 23, 2025.