An important update has been posted at the end of this article.
Tom Cruise is reportedly in talks with SpaceX and NASA about the idea of shooting a movie in space.
There’s no official word on the project from those involved, but entertainment news site Deadline claims to have learned of the plan from someone in the know.
The news outlet insists “this is real … albeit in the early stages,” adding that it won’t be another Mission: Impossible movie.
The idea of Cruise heading to space to shoot a movie may not be as far-fetched as it first sounds. The movie studios certainly have the money, and the actor is well known for his determination to perform all of his movie stunts himself. And with Cruise, we’re not talking about driving a car at speed or jumping over a wall. (For Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, the movie star clung onto the side of a large military aircraft as it took off.)
SpaceX, for its part, is about to launch its Crew Dragon capsule on a NASA mission to the International Space Station, carrying astronauts for the very first time. Next year the commercial space company headed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk wants to start using the seven-seat Crew Dragon for tourist trips to the space station — so what’s stopping a small movie crew from taking the trip as well?
Speaking of Elon Musk, there’s little doubt that he’d be up for the idea, as the SpaceX CEO is well known for coming up with crazy-sounding suggestions himself (keep in mind that SpaceX’s idea of landing a rocket booster back on Earth shortly after launch sounded like a bonkers proposition once).
But if this extraordinary movie project does work out, don’t expect to see Cruise strapped to the outside of a Falcon 9 rocket as it lifts off from Cape Canaveral — that may be a stunt too far even for him (though one well worth the cost of a cinema ticket if it did happen). However, the idea of Cruise taking a place on a future Crew Dragon flight, seated beside a camera operator, certainly isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
Of course, today’s incredible CGI capabilities enable realistic-looking space movies to be created with everyone staying very much within Earth’s atmosphere. But the wow factor of a movie star heading to space to shoot a few scenes (or the entire movie?) would bring the commissioning studio and the production itself the kind of publicity that money cannot buy. And so who wouldn’t want to go see it?
Update: NASA has confirmed that it is indeed working with Tom Cruise on a plan to shoot a movie on the International Space Station.
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