Tom Cruise has shared a featurette for the latest installment in his Mission Impossible franchise, Dead Reckoning Part One (aka M:I 7), revealing a behind-the-scenes look at “the greatest stunt in cinema history.”
The scene features a motorcycle jumping off a cliff, which then turns into a base jump – all performed by Cruise instead of a stuntman.
The 60-year-old actor, who just jumped out of a plane to thank fans for the success of his movie Top Gun: Maverick, says at the beginning of the video, “I’ve wanted to do it since I was a little kid. ‘
The stunt was performed on location on a cliff in Norway, and the filmmakers built a giant ramp for Cruise to ride the motorcycle down.
Daredevil: Tom Cruise performed “the greatest stunt in cinema history” by driving a motorcycle off a cliff and then performing a base jump for his 2023 film ‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One’ (aka M:I 7). .
Here we go: The action star dressed all in black with a backpack on his back as he rode at top speed
In the video, Cruise says, “This is by far the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted.”
To prepare for the stunt, the Top Gun actor assembled a panel of experts from all disciplines involved in the stunt to ensure everything went smoothly.
Miles Daisher, a base jumping coach, commented on Cruise’s skills, “You tell him something and he just includes it.
“His sense of spatial awareness – he’s the most conscious person I’ve ever met.”
In order to perform the stunt on camera, several experts had to work out the best filming equipment and positioning to capture the stunt as effectively as possible.
Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote and directed the film, which is due out next year, remarked, “Just two years ago there weren’t any cameras that would have allowed us to do what we’re trying to do today.”
We’ve taken off: Cruise can be seen on a harness as he soars through the air; The motorcycle is attached to a separate cable
In the air: This is what it looks like in the film. Cruise trained by completing over 500 skydives and over 13,000 motocross jumps
Before the jump: In the film’s teaser, he approaches the cliff before jumping off the edge
A lot of nerves: The crew had to work out the best positions for the cameras so that the stunt could be captured in the most effective and exciting way
No stuntman needed: The actor performed the actual stunt himself six times, including driving off a cliff in Norway
Up the ramp: The actor stands up while a drone films the stunt from above
Months of preparation: The Top Gun: Maverick actor and crew set up motion capture equipment to track where he would end up mid-air during the stunt
At work: Tom and the director didn’t seem afraid of heights as they stood at the top of the ramp
Cruise also mentioned that he really wanted to involve the audience and give them that thrill.
He performed more than 500 skydives and more than 13,000 motocross jumps in preparation for the stunt.
They replicated the ramp they would use for the actual filming at a quarry in England and filled it with cardboard to catch the bike after Cruise drove off.
McQuarrie spoke about how they had to calculate where Cruise would be in the air and what trajectory he would be on.
He said: “We need to be able to consistently predict where Tom will be in three-dimensional space.”
When Cruise actually performed the stunt in Norway, he drove the motorcycle off the cliff and then successfully jumped — six times in one day.
After the thrilling jumps, McQuarrie said, “The only thing that scares me more is what we have planned for Mission [Impossible] 8th.’
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One is slated to hit theaters on July 14, 2023.
The panel of experts assembled by Cruise made sure the dangerous stunt went off without a hitch
Don’t worry: the actor lands safely