Tom Cruise planning to shoot film in outer space with Nasa
Elon Musk reportedly involved in production of first feature movie made outside Earth
Tom Cruise is in talks with Nasa about shooting a film in space, according to the head of the US space agency.
Sky News reports that the 57-year-old actor “is set to board the International Space Station to film the first narrative feature outside Earth”.
Confirming the news, Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted: “Nasa is excited to work with Tom Cruise on a film aboard the Space Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make Nasa’s ambitious plans a reality.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bridenstine gave no further details about the project, but according to Hollywood-focused magazine Deadline, SpaceX founder Elon Musk is also involved.
Musk has not confirmed the claim, but gave the production the thumbs-up in a tweeted reply to Bridenstine.
According to Deadline, the space-based action adventure movie will not be part of the Mission Impossible series and “no studio is in the mix at this stage”.
As The Guardian notes, Cruise is famous for his “daredevil films and for doing his own stunts”.
The American actor “flew fighter jets” for the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick, and “hung off the side of a plane as it took off” and “climbed the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai” for the Mission Impossible films.
A few previous films have been shot on board the space station, including a 2002 IMAX documentary that Cruise narrated and 2012’s Apogee of Fear, reports CNN.
But Cruise’s next project could see him become the “first actor to endure extraterrestrial travel”, says the US news network.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Apollo 13: Survival – a 'real, rare and breathtaking tale of survival'
The Week Recommends Netflix documentary includes 'remarkable' archival footage from near-disastrous moon mission
By The Week Staff Published
-
Stars close out Paris Olympics, toss to LA
Speed Read A Tom Cruise stunt and Billie Eilish concert ended the 2024 Paris Olympics
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth: was Columbia an avoidable disaster?
The Week Recommends Three-part BBC documentary examines lesser-known Nasa catastrophe
By The Week UK Published
-
Pathfinder 1: world's largest aircraft unveiled in California
Speed Read Vast electric airship promises 'climate-friendly' transportation and humanitarian aid
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequel
Speed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binary
Speed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
By The Week Staff Published
-
Top Gun: Maverick review - Tom Cruise makes a thrilling return
The Week Recommends This ‘absurdly’ entertaining sequel is an ‘edge-of-your-seat, fist-pumping spectacular’
By The Week Staff Published