Tom Cruise Forces Director to Prove Stunt on Plane Wing in Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning

Legendary actor Tom Cruise has truly embodied the spirit of "impossible" in the Mission: Impossible series, but he has taken it to new heights with the eighth installment, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. In a recent press conference in Tokyo, Cruise disclosed that the film's director, Christopher McQuarrie, challenged him with stunts that seemed genuinely impossible. To demonstrate the difficulty of these feats, McQuarrie himself attempted the stunt.

"We were discussing the story," Cruise recounted, "and McQuarrie said, 'I want you to move from this point to that in just a few seconds.' I told him, 'I can't do that.' He then proposed another action, to which I responded, 'I really can't do that either.'"

McQuarrie elaborated on the stunt that stumped Cruise, saying, "It was something quite simple. Whenever I suggested anything, Tom would say, 'No, you actually can't do that.' And I'm not used to hearing 'can't' from him."

Cruise, known for his daring stunts in the M:I series, explained the physical limitations he faced. "The speed and force of the air made it impossible for me to move quickly on the wing," he said. He further detailed how a 20-minute tutorial helped McQuarrie understand his perspective. "The physics of the aircraft's speed and the wind's force are utterly brutal. I told him the best way to understand it was to experience it himself. So, I trained him to go out on the wing and feel the pressure."

McQuarrie enjoyed the challenge, admitting, "It was great, actually. A lot of fun. I would definitely do it again." Cruise also shared that he had been preparing for this particular stunt for years, emphasizing that selecting the right aircraft was crucial to executing it successfully.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival from May 13 to May 24, 2025, before hitting theaters worldwide on May 23, 2025.