Mission impossible? Tom Cruise’s health insurance.
For the next film in the blockbuster franchise, the actor still does all of his own stunts, this time atop a moving train cutting across the Norwegian countryside.
The seventh Mission: Impossible film resumed production in September after it shut down in February because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And by the looks of it, Cruise and company aren’t wasting any time getting back to business, i.e. performing death-defying stunts.
A group of bystanders spotted the cast and crew filming a scene atop a train on Friday and captured footage from the shoot in a hilarious video shared by TikTok user @tomaspangelo.
As the group of people grows more excited realising what exactly they are witnessing, they begin to shout at a seemingly unbothered Cruise perched atop the train. He eventually responds with a smile and a wave.
Director Christopher McQuarrie confirmed that the stunt was indeed for Mission: Impossible 7, sharing a frame of Cruise in action on his Instagram Saturday.
“Norway’s scale and beauty have left an indelible and defining imprint on our film and reminded us that anything is possible,” he wrote alongside the photo, thanking the The Norwegian Railway Museum and other in-country operations that made the shoot possible.
“Most of all, we give thanks to the warm and welcoming people of Norway. Your kindness and consideration are nothing less than an inspiration,” he added. “We’ll miss you dearly and look forward to seeing you again.”
The stunt could be a reference to the climactic chase sequence in the first Mission Impossible film, in which Cruise’s Ethan Hunt faces off against the movie’s big bad on top of a speeding bullet train while, of course, being pursued by a helicopter.
But trust and believe there will be action galore in the sequel. Earlier this month, a performer, whom we presume to be Cruise, was seen riding a motorcycle directly off a giant ramp before parachuting to safety.
Mission: Impossible 7 will also star Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby and Simon Pegg and will hit cinemas on 19 November 2021. Another sequel, which is being shot back to back with the seventh film, is set for release on 4 November 2022.