Tom Cruise Challenges Director on Plane Wing for Stunt Proof

When it comes to defying the impossible, few names are as synonymous with daring stunts and cinematic spectacle as Tom Cruise. Over the years, the *Mission: Impossible* franchise has become a benchmark for adrenaline-pumping action, and the upcoming eighth installment, *Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning*, promises to push those boundaries even further. This time around, Cruise revealed that director Christopher McQuarrie had some incredibly ambitious ideas in mind — so much so that Cruise had to demonstrate just how impractical they were by putting McQuarrie to the test himself.

During a recent press conference in Tokyo promoting the film, Cruise recounted how McQuarrie envisioned a stunt requiring him to move from one point to another at an almost superhuman speed. “He was like, ‘Okay, I want you to go from here to here in a couple of seconds,’” Cruise recalled. “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, however, insisted the task was simple. “It was the simplest thing,” he said when reflecting on the stunt that left Cruise skeptical. “Anything you'd describe, \[he'd\] say, 'No, you actually can't do that.' And I don't hear 'can't' from him.”

But Cruise, who has spent decades performing jaw-dropping stunts without the use of CGI or stunt doubles, knew better. Drawing upon his extensive experience, he explained that physics and environmental factors made certain moves unfeasible. “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,’” Cruise emphasized. He went on to explain how a 20-minute tutorial helped McQuarrie understand the physical limitations involved. “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.”

As it turns out, McQuarrie embraced the challenge wholeheartedly. “It was great, actually,” he admitted. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I would definitely do it again.” Cruise also shared that he’d been preparing for this particular stunt for years, noting that selecting the right aircraft played a crucial role in making the sequence work both safely and effectively.

Fans won’t have to wait much longer to witness the results of this intense collaboration. *Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning* will make its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 13 to May 24, 2025. Following its red-carpet debut, the film will hit theaters worldwide on May 23, 2025, bringing another chapter of high-octane action and death-defying feats to the big screen.