Legendary actor Tom Cruise has truly redefined the concept of "impossible" with the Mission: Impossible series, 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 revealed that director Christopher McQuarrie had some ambitious ideas for stunts that even pushed the boundaries of what Cruise thought was possible. In an effort to demonstrate the difficulty of the proposed feats, Cruise humorously turned the tables on McQuarrie, challenging him to experience the stunts firsthand.
Cruise recounted how McQuarrie presented him with a seemingly simple task during their story discussions. "And then we talked about story and [McQuarrie] was like, 'Okay, I want you to go from here to here in a couple of seconds,'" Cruise said. "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 elaborated on the stunt, stating, "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 his extensive experience with death-defying stunts in the M:I films, Cruise explained the physical limitations he faced. "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,'" he insisted. To help McQuarrie understand, Cruise arranged a "20-minute tutorial" where McQuarrie experienced the stunt conditions himself. "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, surprisingly, enjoyed the experience, stating, "It was great, actually. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I would definitely do it again." Cruise also shared that he had been training for this particular stunt for years, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right aircraft to execute it safely.
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, running from May 13 to May 24, 2025, before hitting theaters worldwide on May 23, 2025. This latest installment promises to deliver yet another thrilling chapter in the iconic franchise.
