Tom Cruise shared a featurette for the latest instalment 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 film 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 filmmakers built a giant ramp for Cruise to ride the motorcycle off.
Daredevil: Tom Cruise performed the ‘greatest stunt in cinema history’ by driving a motorcycle off a cliff and then base jumping for his 2023 film Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One (aka M:I 7)
There he goes: The action star had on all black with a pack on his back as he drove at top speed
In the video, Cruise says: ‘This is far and away the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted.’
To prepare for the stunt, the Top Gun actor put together a group of experts in all the disciplines involved in the stunt, to ensure the whole thing happened without a hitch.
Miles Daisher, a base jumping coach, remarked on Cruise’s ability: ‘You tell him something, and he just locks it in.
‘His sense of spatial awareness – he is the most aware person I’ve ever met.’
In order to perform the stunt on camera, several experts had to work out the best equipment and positioning to use when filming, so that the stunt would be captured in the most effective way possible.
Christopher McQuarrie, the writer and director of the film, which is slated for release next year, noted: ‘Even two years ago, the cameras didn’t exist that would allow us to do what we are trying to do today.’
We have lift off: Cruise is seen on a harness as he sails through the air; the motorcycle is attached to a separate cable
In the air: This is how it looks on film. Cruise practiced by completing over 500 skydives and over 13,000 motocross jumps
Before the jump: In the film’s teaser he approaches the cliff before driving off the edge
Lots of nerves: The crew had to work out the best places to position 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, driving off a cliff in Norway
Up the ramp: The actor stands up, as a drone films the stunt from above
Months of preparation: The Top Gun: Maverick actor and the crew set up motion capture equipment to track where he would end up in the air during the stunt
On the job: Tom and the director did not seem to have a fear of heights as they stood on the end of the ramp
Cruise also mentioned that he wanted to really involve the audience and give them that thrill.
He performed more than 500 skydives, and more than 13,000 motocross jumps to prepared for the stunt.
They replicated the ramp they would use for actual filming in a quarry in England, and filled it with cardboard boxes to catch the motorcycle after Cruise drove off.
McQuarrie talked about how they had to calculate where Cruise would be in the air and what trajectory he would be on.
He said: ‘We have to be able to consistently predict where Tom will be in three-dimensional space.’
When Cruise performed the stunt for real in Norway, he rode the motorcycle off of the cliff and then base jumped successfully – six times in one day.
After the suspense-filled jumps, McQuarrie said: ‘The only thing that scares me more is what we have planned for Mission [Impossible] 8.’
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One is set to release in theaters on July 14, 2023.
The group of experts that Cruise put together ensured the dangerous stunt went off without a hitch
No fear: The actor comes down to land safely
