tom cruise latest film stunt

Watch CBS News

Tom Cruise just performed his most dangerous stunt yet – riding a motorcycle off a cliff and BASE jumping

By Caitlin O'Kane

December 21, 2022 / 10:00 AM EST / CBS News

Tom Cruise has performed another daring stunt for the "Mission: Impossible" film series. 

He called this one the most dangerous thing he's ever attempted. Shot in Norway, the stunt required Cruise to ride a motorcycle off a cliff and BASE jump — something he said he's wanted to do since he was a kid. 

Cruise, 60, is currently working on the two-part "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning" film. He's known for performing his own stunts, but this one took years to plan, he said in a video shared on Twitter. 

So excited to share what we’ve been working on. #MissionImpossible pic.twitter.com/rIyiLzQdMG — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 19, 2022

In the video, writer and director Christopher McQuarrie said Cruise put together a "master plan" using experts to help execute the stunt.

He had a year of sky diving training, during which he was doing 30 jumps a day – more than 500 skydives, said Wade Eastwood, the film's stunt coordinator. He also had motocross training, doing over 13,000 motocross jumps. Once he got those skills down, the production team created 3D models to try and predict how Cruise would fly through the air during the stunt so they could film it.

Then, it came time for Cruise to execute the stunt — driving a motorcycle up a long ramp, which lead to a cliff, launching off of it and BASE jumping to the bottom. Cruise first jumped out of a helicopter over the cliff to practice, before attempting the full stunt for the cameras.

"The only things you have to avoid while doing a stunt like this are serious injury or death," BASE jumping coach Miles Daisher said. "You're riding a motorcycle, which is pretty dangerous, on top of a ramp that's elevated off the ground, so if you fall off the ramp, that's pretty bad. You're falling, so if you don't get a clean exit from the bike and you get tangled up with it, or if you don't open your parachute, you're not going to make it."

The behind-the-scenes video show Cruise not only execute the stunt once, but six times in one day. 

"Pretty much the biggest stunt in cinematic history," said BASE jumping coach John DeVore. Viewers can see the final product when part one of the film premieres July 2023. The "Mission: Impossible" series is from Paramount Pictures. (Paramount is also the parent company of CBS.)

Cruise has performed countless hair-raising stunts, including jumping off of scaffolding while filming "Mission: Impossible 6" in —  a stunt that left him injured and limping. 

Cruise has been in Europe filming the seventh and eight "Mission: Impossible" films for several years. The seventh movie was scheduled to premiere in November 2021, but the COVD-19 pandemic shut down production and was pushed to May 27, 2022,  according to Variety . The date was pushed several time after that, and the film will now premier next year. 

While shooting in the U.K. last year, Cruise, who was traveling by helicopter, needed a place to land,  BBC News reports.  He ended up landing in a family's backyard, and then let their kids go for a ride in the helicopter, making headlines.

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

More from CBS News

Rainn Wilson's new podcast shines light on spirituality

Thousands of students who crossed border from Mexico to U.S. set to graduate

Backcountry skier killed after buried by avalanche in Idaho

Biden campaign ramps up outreach to Black voters in Wisconsin

Tom Cruise did that motorcycle stunt in ‘Mission: Impossible’ on Day 1 — here’s why

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

More than half a year before the release of the upcoming movie “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One,” Paramount Pictures made sure audiences got to see Tom Cruise once again risking his life.

Cruise’s mind-blowing stunts have become a signature of “ Mission: Impossible ” films, each one seemingly topping the next. The key stunt in the franchise’s seventh installment involves Cruise driving a motorcycle off the edge of a cliff, dismounting and parachuting into a Norwegian valley. With the drop of its behind-the-scenes footage in December , the studio billed it as “the biggest stunt in cinema history.”

Though the moment has already been watched on YouTube more than 13 million times, and 30 million more times in the film’s trailers, it’s among the film’s most anticipated scenes. After all, we still don’t know how the stunt fits within the plot — What could be so dire that agent Ethan Hunt must jump off a cliff?

Entertainment & Arts

Tom Cruise geeked out at ‘Mission: Impossible’ premiere over ‘goddess’ Janet Jackson

Tom Cruise expressed his love for Janet Jackson at the ‘Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One’ world premiere in Rome.

June 20, 2023

While answers won’t come until the movie’s theatrical release July 12, we now know that the risky stunt was the first thing Cruise did on Day 1 of filming, which began in 2020. And it was all about risk assessment.

In a recent interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Cruise said they started with the scene, in part, to allow the cast and crew to see whether he would be able to star in the $290-million film. After all, he could either get injured or die — or both.

“Well, we know we’re either going to continue with the film or not,” Cruise said, letting out a laugh. “Let’s know Day 1, what is gonna happen: Do we all continue, or is it a major re-run?”

Cruise added that he wanted to make sure his mind was clear enough to focus solely on the stunt.

Watch ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ director Christopher McQuarrie on Ultimate Summer Movie Showdown

Week 13: ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ director Christopher McQuarrie joins a live chat from London about the blockbuster franchise.

Aug. 4, 2020

“You have to be razor sharp for something like that; I don’t want to drop that and shoot other things and have my mind somewhere else,” Cruise said. “You don’t want to be waking up in the middle of the night, ‘It’s still, I still, I still,’ and it has that effect.”

Cruise is no stranger to aerial stunts with a high probability of death. The “Top Gun” actor said preparing for the recent stunt “was years of planning,” a culmination of all the training he’s done with motorcycles, cars and aerobatics.

In the franchise’s last film, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (2018), Cruise jumped into a helicopter in midflight , taking the controls to chase another helicopter. In the same movie, he parachuted from a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from 25,000 feet, close to five miles up, becoming “the first actor” to do so in a major motion picture, according to Paramount (most skydiving attempts occur at 10,000 feet).

In 2011 for “ Ghost Protocol ,” the “Jerry McGuire” actor climbed along the exposed walls of the world’s largest building, the Burj Khalifa of Dubai. And in 2015 for “Rogue Nation,” Cruise hung off the side of an Airbus A400M Atlas as it was taking off, a stunt that veteran stunt coordinator and frequent Cruise collaborator Wade Eastwood called “a stressful experience.”

The recent motorcycle stunt, which Cruise had apparently repeated six times, was no exception. Though the film’s computer-generated images make Cruise appear to be jumping off the rocky surface of the cliff, the scene required a large ramp to be built.

While Cruise is seen atop the motorcycle in the behind-the-scenes video, accelerating off the ramp, a helicopter and drone fly overhead to gather footage. The film’s crew, including director Christopher McQuarrie, are huddled in a nearby tent, faces glued to a set of monitors. After he abandons the bike and hangs in the open air, Cruise releases his parachute and the crew erupts in cheers.

“The only thing you have to avoid when doing a stunt like this are serious injury or death,” Eastwood, who has managed stunts for the last three “Mission Impossible” films, said in the BTS video. “You’re falling. If you don’t get a clean exit from the bike and you get tangled up with it, if you don’t open your parachute, you’re not gonna make it.”

Review: Tom Cruise returns, crazy stunts and all, in ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’

See Tom run. See Tom jump.

July 13, 2018

The scene wasn’t the only stressful one to shoot: Cruise said he also worried about a car chase that involved him handcuffed to a small car, steering with one hand while drifting along the cobblestone streets of Rome, with his co-star Hayley Atwell in the passenger seat.

“It’s plenty of challenges,” Cruise said with a wide grin, laughing once again.

“Dead Reckoning” had its world premiere Sunday at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome with Cruise and other cast members, including Atwell and Vanessa Kirby , in attendance. “Part Two” is expected to be released in June 2024. Filming wrapped in September for what has been rumored to be Cruise’s final appearance in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

More to Read

How ‘The Fall Guy’ became a live show at Universal Studios Hollywood, complete with Ryan Gosling cameo

May 8, 2024

Review: In ‘The Fall Guy’ with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, what’s a stuntman to do? Shake it off

May 2, 2024

Universal Studios tram tossed “multiple” riders to the ground, accident investigators say

April 22, 2024

Only good movies

Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Jonah Valdez is a former reporter at the Los Angeles Times on the Fast Break entertainment news team. Before joining The Times as a member of the 2021-22 Los Angeles Times Fellowship class, he worked for the Southern California News Group, where he wrote award-winning features. His work can also be found at his hometown newspaper, the San Diego Union-Tribune, Voice of San Diego and San Diego Reader.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Roger Corman, independent cinema pioneer and king of B movies, dead at 98

Company Town

Shari Redstone was poised to make Paramount a Hollywood comeback story. What happened?

May 11, 2024

Review: ‘Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg’ supplies belated respect for a rock muse

May 10, 2024

Review: Coolly argued but driven by fury, ‘Power’ examines the history of American policing

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Entertainment

How Tom Cruise Executed His 'Most Dangerous' Stunt in 'Mission: Impossible –Dead Reckoning Part One'

The death-defying moment in the franchise's seventh installment involves Cruise driving a motorbike off a cliff

Collection Christophel/Alamy

Tom Cruise  turned up the action for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning   Part One .

While the film marks the seventh installment in the highly successful franchise, Cruise, 61, made the occasion even more special by challenging himself to perform one of his most dangerous stunts yet.

The death-defying moment involved Cruise driving a motorbike off a cliff, fly off the bike, and parachute to the ground. While fans got a glimpse of the stunt through the film's action-packed trailer in May, Cruise, along with writer-director  Christopher McQuarrie , first teased the big moment in 2021 at CinemaCon.

The pair explained in a special behind-the-scenes video at the event that the stunt took 500 hours of skydiving training and 13,000 motorbike jumps to get it just right. The stunt involved Cruise being attached to a set of wires as he rides a speeding motorcycle off of a large ramp before he throws himself from the bike, backed by the safety wires attached to his back.

Speaking about its execution, McQuarrie, 54, explained in the video that it was "by far the most dangerous stunt we've ever done." The clip then ended with Cruise performing the stunt himself, with a crew member saying, " Tom Cruise  rode a motorcycle off a cliff six times today."

McQuarrie "tried to kill me," joked Cruise at the New York City premiere.

Christian Black/Paramount Pictures

The film's long-awaited release comes after multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic . According to an official synopsis, it finds Cruise's Ethan Hunt as he and his team are tasked with tracking down "a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands."

During its world premiere in June , Cruise gave a speech about his passion for the franchise and filmmaking. He said in part, "It’s something that I grew up with, that made me and inspired me to dream and want to travel the world. My goal since I was little was to make movies and travel. And not just be a tourist but work in that world and understand their culture."

"Through my movies, I’ve been able to have that because everyone here has allowed me to entertain them," he continued. "It’s a privilege that I have never taken for granted."

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Mission: Impossible   - Dead Reckoning Part One is out now.

Related Articles

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Watch Tom Cruise Break Down His ‘Most Dangerous’ Stunt Ever for New ‘Mission: Impossible’

Samantha bergeson.

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Share on LinkedIn
• Show more sharing options
• Submit to Reddit
• Post to Tumblr
• Print This Page
• Share on WhatsApp

Tom Cruise is proving that no mission is too impossible.

The “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part I” star shared a behind-the-scenes video of his stuntwork on the first installment of his farewell to character Ethan Hunt.

“So excited to share what we’ve been working on,” Cruise tweeted.

“Dead Reckoning” is the first half of the conclusion to the 1996 film franchise. Cruise has played undercover CIA agent Ethan Hunt for close to 30 years, with “Mission: Impossible 7” arriving in theaters July 14, 2023, soon followed by “Mission: Impossible 8” out June 28, 2024.

The stunt video shows Cruise training to achieve the  most dangerous stunt of his career, with him riding a motorcycle off a cliff. “This is far and away the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted,” Cruise says in the video filmed while in Norway for production in 2020.

Related Stories Lewis Hamilton Regretted Turning Down a Role in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’: ‘It Could’ve Been Me!’ Jerry Bruckheimer Offers ‘Top Gun 3’ Update: Joseph Kosinski Is Developing a ‘Wonderful’ Story Idea for Tom Cruise

“It all comes down to one thing: the audience,” Cruise adds.

The “Eyes Wide Shut” alum trained in motocross and base jumping for months leading up to the filmed stunt.

“I had about six seconds once I departed the ramp to pull the chute and I don’t want to get tangled in the bike,” Cruise previously told Empire magazine about the jaw-dropping feat. “If I do, that’s not going to end well.”

Of course, that’s not the only cutting-edge stunt Cruise masters for “Mission: Impossible.” A first look at the film during Paramount Pictures’ showcase at CinemaCon earlier this year captured Cruise holding onto a plane while flying over South Africa. Cruise also recently thanked fans for their support in a video of himself jumping out of a plane .

“The ‘MI’ series really does represent the pinnacle of filmmaking excellence,” Paramount president Brian Robbins said earlier this year at CinemaCon. “And we have no doubt that this new picture will set the bar even higher.”

Robbins continued, “After five release dates and a whole bunch of rumors where this movie would end up, we are finally ready to bring this phenomenal movie to where it always belonged, and that is your theaters.”

Director Christopher McQuarrie helms the upcoming film, which will exclusively have a theatrical release due in part to Cruise’s urging. Production for “Dead Reckoning Part I” was repeatedly halted by the COVID-19 pandemic but eventually wrapped in September 2021. The budget reportedly ballooned upwards of $290 million during production, with additional funds allocated to finish post-production on the action epic.

So excited to share what we’ve been working on. #MissionImpossible pic.twitter.com/rIyiLzQdMG — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 19, 2022

Most Popular

You may also like.

Tom Cruise's First Scene of New 'Mission: Impossible' Movie Was His Most Dangerous Stunt Ever (Exclusive)

Tom cruise on performing 'the most dangerous stunt of his career' in 'mission impossible 7', the irwin family on which celebs they want to play them in a movie, barry keoghan crashes sabrina carpenter's room during met gala glam prep, law roach shares stories behind 'emotional' celine dion, zendaya fashion moments | retrospective, how maria shriver plans to get ‘white lotus’ spoilers from son patrick schwarzenegger (exclusive), ricki lake on if she’d ever return to daytime tv (exclusive), why taylor swift fan believes her ‘so high school’ performance was a nod to boyfriend travis kelce, why chris hemsworth thinks playing a villain is ‘incredibly refreshing’ after playing superhero thor, angelina jolie accused of discouraging kids from seeing dad brad pitt (court docs), 'young sheldon' series finale: cast reacts to george sr.'s death (exclusive), noelia voigt claims 'bullying' and 'harassment' led to miss usa resignation (report), justin bieber and pregnant hailey renew their wedding vows 5 years after getting married, vanessa williams on 'reintroducing' herself to fans with ‘legs (keep dancing)’ (exclusive), price william gives rare update on kate middleton’s health following her cancer diagnosis, ryan gosling uses 5 words to describe 'rest of his life' with eva mendes, taylor swift's eras tour: all the changes since dropping 'the tortured poets department', anya taylor-joy and chris hemsworth on their hours-long 'furiosa' transformations (exclusive), hilary duff watches daughters perform in their school play days after welcoming baby no. 4, 'american idol' judges katy perry, lionel richie and luke bryan sing a disney classic (exclusive), taylor swift's new eras tour ‘the tortured poets department’ easter eggs, 'vanderpump villa' sneak peek: marciano won't leave the château 'in limbo' with hannah (exclusive), the actor opened up to et about planning his death-defying base jump for the first day of production..

It's no secret that Tom Cruise is serious about his stunt work, and in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One , he wasted no time taking on a death-defying scene!

Cruise sat down with ET's Nischelle Turner in Rome this week to preview the upcoming action flick, and he shared an interesting fact about the production, revealing that the  most dangerous stunt of his career -- a motorcycle jump off of a cliff into a base jump -- was the first-ever scene filmed for Dead Reckoning Part One .

"Well, we know either we're gonna continue with the film or we're not," Cruise said with a laugh of planning the death-defying stunt. "Let's know day one... Do we all continue, or is it a major rewrite?"

In all seriousness, the actor added, it all came down to focus. "It was years preparing. I mean, I've been riding motorcycles since I was a little kid, raced cars and spent a lot of time just with aerobatics, airplanes, helicopters and parachutes... It all kind of came to that moment."

"You have to be razor sharp when you do something like that, so it was very important as we were prepping the film that that actually was the first thing [to shoot], because I don't want to drop that and go shoot other things and then have my mind somewhere else," he continued. "Everyone was prepped, let's just get it done."

And it wasn't just the one stunt that Cruise was hyper-focused on throughout the film's production. He did his own stunt driving for an intense chase scene throughout the streets of Rome -- while his character was handcuffed to franchise newcomer Hayley Atwel l, no less -- saying the challenges he takes on as a performer are indicative of his devotion to the action-packed franchise.

"Mission: Impossible is the first film I ever produced," he recalled of the impact the films have had on his career, dating back to the 1996 original. "There's certain things that I felt that we could tell with motion, with action and with stories and to be able to travel the world, that I really wanted to- I hoped that I could be able to accomplish with Mission: Impossible."

" I really always wanted to travel the world and be part of that community and then celebrate that community," he added. " Mission: Impossible allows me to do that."

Cruise's legacy as a box-office star is without question, and he hit a new major milestone last year, when Top Gun: Maverick became his first film to bring in over a billion dollars, bringing his career total box office to over $10 billion.

"You know, it was important last summer because of what we went through in [COVID shutdowns]," he noted. "For me, I love movies on the big screen and we have, you know, our families, how it spreads out to the other platforms, I understand that, but the way that I make movies, what I love about films is -- and I've always been someone who's promoted the big screen experience -- I make movies for audiences and to see how much they enjoyed it."

"To see [ Maverick ] open up the way it did, it meant a lot to me in so many ways," Cruise continued. "I mean, for me, when we're in Cannes, I was looking at all of [the cast]. I was like, I want you to have this experience. I wanted them to have that kind of experience, that we all worked hard and we all created this together. It was very special."

And, no surprise, he's not planning to slow down anytime soon. While Cruise and Mission: Impossible writer-director Christopher McQuarrie still have some work to do on Dead Reckoning Part Two --  due out in June 2024 and set to be Cruise's final bow as Ethan Hunt -- the actor said they're already planning for what comes next.

"A few days ago, I turned to McQ like, you know, we've got to start thinking about what we're gonna do next summer when we're done with this," he shared with a laugh. "This is what I do, I make movies... I absolutely love it."

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is in theaters July 12.

RELATED CONTENT:

Hayley Atwell Recalls Tom Cruise's Amazing Gift for Her Grandmother

Tom Cruise Talks Scarlett Johansson Wanting to Make a Movie With Him

Tom Cruise Gushes Over His Friendship With 'Goddess' Janet Jackson

Updates on celebrity news, tv, fashion and more.

• Mission Impossible

Latest News

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

‘He is taking it to the next level’: the expert verdict on Tom Cruise’s epic Mission: Impossible stunts

Amy Johnston, a stunt veteran of Suicide Squad, Deadpool and more, analyses the new blockbuster’s hair-raising action sequences – and praises the star’s commitment to realism

T om Cruise’s new film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is stuffed with spectacular stunts, but one in particular has grabbed the world’s attention: riding a motorbike off the top of a 1,240 metre-high crag, plummeting down its vertical, semi-cylindrical face, and opening his parachute, base-jump style, just before he hits the ground.

Cruise says its “far and away the most dangerous thing [he’d] ever attempted”, and in a video released by the film-makers , revealed he had trained for the stunt by making more than 500 skydives and 13,000 motocross jumps over an 80ft mound, as well as training for a year in base jumping (a specialist skill involving parachuting from fixed objects including radio masts and skyscrapers). A practice ramp was constructed in a quarry in Wallingford, Oxfordshire , stuffed with fall-breaking plastic bags, before taking on the actual leap off the Helsetkopen in Norway. Cruise performed the stunt six times for the cameras.

Amy Johnston, a stunt performer on films such as Suicide Squad, Deadpool and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as the TV series Westworld, said: “In the movie theatre where I watched the film, as soon as he dropped, the audience was just dead silent. Everybody was trying to hold their breath, kind of they all felt like they were just having a heart attack.

“What he is able to do is create spectacle, and he knows how to entertain people. He did some of his biggest stunts to date in this film, and I was absolutely very impressed.”

Cruise has been making Mission: Impossible films for nearly 30 years, and will be for another 20 if he has his way . Since the premiere of the first Mission: Impossible in 1996, the role has been particularly testing, with the series renowned for its elaborate and physically challenging stunts, for which Cruise, 61, prides himself on his personal involvement. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the seventh entry in the series, carries on the tradition, with other set pieces including a somersaulting Fiat 500, and train carriages hanging over a steep drop.

Johnston points out that while Cruise will have stunt doubles to assist him, as well as elements of CGI to heighten impact, the fact that he gets involved so heavily himself has an influence on the way scenes are filmed and their impact. “He knows how to bring the realism – you can see that it’s happening to him in closeup, like the effect of freefall on his face - and then you can also keep the frame very wide and see the action play out. It adds to the experience, and audiences definitely feel that.”

For all that, Johnston says one of the hardest stunts in the film is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment at the very start, when Cruise’s character, hiding in the desert, has to mount a horse as it gets up from a prone position. “This is very specialty-trained movement; it really needs timing, and it’s dangerous as well, because the horse could lay down on his leg if the timing is off.

“That is what Cruise always brings to his films, the extra details, because he didn’t need to do that. But he wants to do those things, and it adds a lot.”

Johnston also talks admiringly of the car chase scene in which Cruise and Hayley Atwell are handcuffed together as they manoeuvre a Fiat 500 around the narrow streets of Rome. “It was really fun, and not just because of all the somersaults and car hits, but the fact they were connected by handcuffs was so creative. I would love to break it down frame by frame, but I think that Cruise was definitely driving one-handed while being handcuffed. That whole scene [was a] really great job by the stunt coordinators and the stunt performers.”

Johnston says that a scene in which Cruise fights a selection of bad guys on top of a speeding train employed a mix of stunt trickery and actual exposure to the conditions. She suggests that film-makers may have employed harnesses or wires attached to a crane, which are then erased in post-production, for wide shots, and that greenscreen backdrops, where the background is added digitally, were probably used for tighter shots. “But the part where he had to duck under a bridge is one of those things that you have to really work on and go over and over and over and really get the timing right. It’s very scary to do something like that.”

Johnston is also supportive of the stunt industry’s campaign to gain recognition for its work through inclusion in the Oscars, which is spearheaded by John Wick director Chad Stahelski . “It would make a lot of sense, especially with how hard the stunt teams work to make a great film. These fight scenes, and car scenes, are all designed by the stunt team, who also figure out the best way to film them. The stunt coordinator and the stunt crew are such a huge part of a film.”

Mission: Impossible’s main rival in the blockbuster stunt world remains the Bond franchise , which stages equally elaborate scenes for its star performer – until recently Daniel Craig. But for Johnston, Cruise remains the gold standard: “It’s how he shoots action, doing his own stuff, that adds to the experience. I know in the Bond films, the actors are definitely doing a lot of fight scenes and such, but Cruise is taking it to the next level. It’s not that the action is better, but Cruise’s process does make a difference.”

• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
• Action and adventure films
• Film industry
• Mission: Impossible

Most viewed

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Movie Reviews

• LISTEN & FOLLOW
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

Tom Cruise hangs on for dear life to his 'Mission' to save the movies

Justin Chang

Tom Cruise is back, and doing his own stunts, in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. Paramount Pictures and Skydance hide caption

Tom Cruise is back, and doing his own stunts, in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.

For some time now, Tom Cruise has been on what feels like a one-man mission to save the movies. Back in 2020, when Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One was shooting in the U.K., Cruise was recorded screaming at crew members who'd violated COVID-19 lockdown protocols, all but claiming that the industry's future rested on their shoulders. Earlier this year, Steven Spielberg publicly praised Cruise for saving Hollywood with the smash success of Top Gun: Maverick .

Now, with the box office still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels, Cruise has become a kind of evangelist for the theatergoing experience, urging audiences to buy tickets not just to his movie, but also to other big summer titles like Barbie and Oppenheimer .

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'mission: impossible' is back, but will you accept it, or will it self-destruct.

Cruise's save-the-movies spirit goes hand-in-hand with his self-styled reputation as the last of the great Hollywood stars. In this seventh Mission: Impossible movie, the now 61-year-old actor and producer still insists on risking life and limb for our viewing pleasure, doing his own outrageous stunts in action scenes that make only minimal use of CGI. And so we see Cruise's Ethan Hunt, an agent with the Impossible Missions Force, or IMF, tearing up the streets of Rome in a tiny yellow Fiat, riding a motorcycle off a cliff and — in the most astonishing sequence — hanging on for dear life after a deadly train derailment.

The plot that connects these sequences is preposterous, of course, but reasonably easy to follow. In an especially timely twist, the big villain this time around is AI — a self-aware techno-being referred to as the Entity. It's an invisible menace, everywhere and nowhere; it can wipe out data systems, control the flow of information and bring nations to their knees.

'Top Gun: Maverick' is ridiculous. It's also ridiculously entertaining

Hunt and his IMF team are determined to destroy the Entity before it becomes too powerful or falls into the wrong hands. But his old boss, Eugene Kittridge, played by the sinister Henry Czerny, warns Hunt to fall in line with the U.S. government, which wants to control the Entity and the new world order to come.

This is notably the first time we've seen Kittridge since Brian De Palma 's 1996 Mission: Impossible — the first and still, to my mind, the best movie in the series. That said, the director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie has done a snazzy job with the most recent ones: Rogue Nation , Fallout and now Dead Reckoning Part One .

Coronavirus Updates

Sorry, tom cruise fans — new 'top gun' and 'mission impossible' movies delayed again.

Here, he seems to be paying sly tribute to that 1996 original, even evoking its horrific early setpiece in which Hunt watched helplessly as his IMF teammates were murdered, one by one. That trauma was formative; it explains why, in movie after movie, Hunt has repeatedly put his life on the line for his friends.

If you're kept up with the series, you'll recognize those friends here, including Hunt's fellow operatives played by Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson. You may also remember Vanessa Kirby , reprising her Fallout role as a ruthless arms broker and giving, in a single sequence, perhaps the movie's best performance. There are some intriguing new characters, too, including a wily thief, well played by Hayley Atwell, who draws Hunt into an extended game of cat-and-mouse. Pom Klementieff steals a few scenes as a mysterious assassin, as does Esai Morales as a glowering enemy from Hunt's past.

That's a lot of characters, double-crosses, chases, fights, escapes and explosions to keep track of. But even with a running time that pushes north of two-and-a-half hours — and this is just Part One — the movie never loses its grip. McQuarrie, a screenwriter first and foremost, paces the narrative beautifully, building and releasing tension at regular intervals.

Compared with the visual effects-heavy bombast of most Hollywood blockbusters, Dead Reckoning Part One feels like a marvel of old-school craftsmanship, just with niftier gadgets. Even Hunt wears his devil-may-care recklessness with surprising lightness and grace, spending much of the movie's third act on the sidelines and even playing some of his most daring escapades for laughs. Not that the actor doesn't take his mission seriously. I don't know if Tom Cruise can save the movies, but somehow, I never get tired of watching him try.

How the cast of Mission: Impossible felt watching Tom Cruise riding a bike off a cliff in Dead Reckoning

In the seventh and latest Mission: Impossible movie, actor Tom Cruise performs what director Christopher McQuarrie describes as his most dangerous stunt yet — driving a motorbike straight off a cliff.

"We have a motto on this movie now, which is, "that's a terrible idea. When do we start?" McQuarrie said in an interview with ABC News.

"The more ill-advised something seems, that's how we know we're onto something. And what you're seeing in this movie is just Tom and I taking everything we've learned from all the movies previously — not just Mission: Impossible — [but] Top Gun, Edge of Tomorrow. All the movies we've done separately and together and just applying it to this one."

In Dead Reckoning Part One, which releases in Australia this week, Ethan and his team of spies race across the globe to face off against a sophisticated, evolving AI threat.

Dead Reckoning is the seventh film in the Mission: Impossible series, and the first of two parts. 

It stars Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby and Pom Klementieff, who was present when Cruise made his death-defying leap.

"We all were watching, we were in Norway and we saw him do it seven or eight times in a row in front of us, it was insane," Klementieff, who plays new character Paris, said.

"It's easier to be there than it is to wait to hear if it went well," Pegg added.

"If you're back at the hotel or the cruise ship we were staying on at the time -- just watching your watch and just waiting, it's terrifying. It's better to be there. Get it over with, tear the bandaid off, see it happen. But my God it was extraordinary."

Still, McQuarrie says another stunt in Part Two, which is due out June 2024, will top even this one.

"So if you go back and look at the other Mission: Impossibles you can see within other sequences, the dress rehearsals for the sequences we're doing now, after every movie, we just look at one another and say 'we can do better'.'"

Currently, the Mission: Impossible series has grossed over $US3.5 billion worldwide ($5.3 billion)

Cruise is famous for performing his own stunts. In 2018's Fallout, he set a record and became the first person to ever execute a high altitude low opening, or HALO, jump on film.

Shooting during a pandemic

Production on Dead Reckoning occurred during the pandemic, and that allowed the filmmakers unprecedented access to cities like Venice, Rome and Abu Dhabi. The lockdown created both difficulties and opportunities, McQuarrie said.

"I don't think we could have shot in Rome or Venice the way that we did, had we not done so during the pandemic," he said.

"Everything was a challenge. And what we do is take advantage of those challenges. We just find ways to work within them and it permeates into the movie that everything you're feeling in this movie is in part and formed by the fact that we're shooting it during the pandemic."

Hayley Atwell's Grace

Hayley Atwell, known for her role as Agent Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe appears as new character Grace, who becomes embroiled in Ethan Hunt's mission.

Atwell says it was important for her to elevate Grace so that the character wasn't a stereotype or one-dimensional.

"So there were moments when, because a lot of it was ad libbed, I made choices where she would be full of self assurance, then she'd be, you know, overwhelmed by self doubt — so what you have is a kind of character that's consistently inconsistent," Atwell said in an interview.

"The choices she makes change the trajectory of the story, at several times in the film. Therefore, she's not just reactive to what the men are doing or what Tom [Cruise] is doing. She very much has her own agency in this."

The film has been described as a farewell to Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt, but McQuarrie says that might not necessarily be the case.

"Even if I set out to end the franchise, I couldn't be sure that that's how it would end. These movies are changing all the time," McQuarrie says, adding that he would love to find a way to include Sydney as a location for Dead Reckoning Part Two.

Cruise along with Atwell, Pegg, Klementieff and McQuarrie will walk the red carpet at the film's Sydney premiere tonight.

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning releases in Australian cinemas July 8.

• X (formerly Twitter)

Related Stories

Marvel's secret invasion espionage thriller is also a story about refugees and displacement.

Ethan Hunt returns for a rollicking sixth instalment of Mission: Impossible

How director Peter Sohn reflected his immigrant experience in new Pixar film Elemental

• Film (Arts and Entertainment)
• United States

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands. Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands. Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

• Christopher McQuarrie
• Bruce Geller
• Erik Jendresen
• Hayley Atwell
• Ving Rhames
• 1.4K User reviews
• 358 Critic reviews
• 81 Metascore
• 17 wins & 64 nominations total

• Luther Stickell

• The White Widow

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The frequent delays caused by COVID-19 ballooned the budget to $291 million, making it the most expensive Mission: Impossible film (surpassing Fallout, $178 million), the most expensive film of Tom Cruise 's career (again surpassing Fallout), and the most expensive film ever produced by Paramount (surpassing Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) , $217 million). The insurance company Chubb originally gave Paramount only £4.4 million (about $5.4 million) for the delays, arguing that the cast and crew could still fulfill their duties to the production despite being infected with COVID-19. Paramount sued Chubb in 2021, and the two companies settled in 2022. In 2023, Chubb gave Paramount a £57 million (about $71 million) payout for the COVID-caused delays, reducing the film's budget to about $220 million, which still makes it the most expensive film for Cruise, Paramount, and the franchise.
• Goofs Steam trains, especially moving at high speeds, need to be continuously provided with fuel, in this case coal. With the engineers killed and the controls opened all the way, the locomotive would have gradually slowed down and come to a halt as the pressure in the boiler dropped. That train would never have reached the bridge for that distance with no coal provided. Since the early 1900s, when firebox coal consumption exceeded the efforts of two men, the trains have used mechanical stokers. The coal would continue feeding without one missing coal shoveler.

[from trailer]

Eugene Kittridge : Your days of fighting for the so-called greater good are over. This is our chance to control the truth. The concepts of right and wrong for everyone for centuries to come. You're fighting to save an ideal that doesn't exist. Never did. You need to pick a side.

• Crazy credits Disclaimer as one of the last entries in the end titles scroll: "The production company would like to make it clear that at no point were vehicles driving on the Spanish Steps. These sequences were filmed at a set on a studio backlot."
• Connections Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Most Anticipated Franchises Returning in 2023 (2023)
• Soundtracks The Mission: Impossible Theme Written by Lalo Schifrin

User reviews 1.4K

• Darksidecrew
• Jul 10, 2023
• How long is Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One? Powered by Alexa
• July 12, 2023 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Mission: Impossible 7
• Helsetkopen, Møre og Romsdal, Norway (motorcycle jump)
• Paramount Pictures
• Skydance Media
• TC Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $291,000,000 (estimated)
• $172,135,383
• $54,688,347
• Jul 16, 2023
• $567,535,383

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 43 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Digital

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Tom Cruise debuts new 'Mission: Impossible' trailer while sitting on top of a flying plane

LAS VEGAS – Leave it to Tom Cruise to do the absolute most. 

The Hollywood daredevil was not on hand at CinemaCon Thursday to debut the trailer for the next "Mission: Impossible" movie, nor to attend the first screening for his long-awaited "Top Gun: Maverick" (in theaters May 27). 

But Cruise still managed to pre-tape a video message for the convention of movie theater owners  from the South Africa set of "Mission: Impossible." The eighth installment in the film series, "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I," is expected in theaters next summer. 

"Hi, everyone, wish I could be there with you," Cruise said casually, seated on top of an open cockpit biplane flying thousands of feet above a massive canyon. "I'm sorry for the extra noise," he apologized, his voice muffled by the aircraft engine. 

'Lightyear': 'Toy Story' spinoff features queer character, emotional same-sex kiss in first footage

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

"We have a first look at the 'Mission: Impossible' trailer, so please enjoy," he said. "Let's all have a great summer and we'll see you at the movies." 

And with that, the plane swooped down into the canyon with Cruise still perched on the base of a wing, earning gasps from the crowd at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. 

The "Mission: Impossible" trailer promised more death-defying stunts from Cruise, as his globe-trotting agent Ethan Hunt is told that his days of "fighting for the greater good are over." The footage was jam-packed with explosions, car chases and Cruise punching bad guys on top of a moving train, culminating in a hair-raising moment where his motorcycle goes off a cliff and sends him into freefall. 

More CinemaCon: 'Avatar 2' reveals breathtaking first teaser trailer, official title

"Dead Reckoning," which has suffered extensive production delays because of the pandemic, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2018's "Mission: Impossible – Fallout." 

During Paramount's presentation on Thursday, the studio premiered a winning first look at Old Hollywood drama "Babylon" (in theaters Christmas Day), from "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle and starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. Paramount also formally announced "A Quiet Place: Day One," a prequel to John Krasinski's sci-fi/horror franchise. 

The Bat is back: Michael Keaton returns as Batman in first look at 'The Flash' movie with Ezra Miller

• Entertainment

New 'Mission: Impossible' Video Captures Tom Cruise Attempting a Death-Defying Stunt

"The only things you have to avoid in a stunt like this is serious injuries or death," a coach for the stunt tells the camera.

The stunt is one of the more dangerous tricks the Mission: Impossible team has conducted. 

Next year's seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible series brings some stealthy stunts to the big screen. A new behind-the-scenes look for Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One shows Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff and immediately diving into a BASE jump. "This is far and away the most dangerous thing we've ever attempted," Cruise says in the video released Monday. 

The stunt is years in the making. Cruise practiced over 500 skydives and 13,000 motor cross jumps to finesse the trick for the seventh installment of the spy thriller. The team conducted the stunt in Norway in 2020.

So excited to share what we’ve been working on. #MissionImpossible pic.twitter.com/rIyiLzQdMG — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 19, 2022

The actor coordinated a "master plan" with experts in the various disciplines involved, like motorcycling and BASE jumping, according to the movie's writer and director, Christopher McQuarrie. 

"The only things you have to avoid in a stunt like this is serious injuries or death," Miles Daisher, Mission: Impossible's BASE jumping coach, tells the camera. 

Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One is set to premiere in theaters on July 14, 2023, and stars Cruise as special agent Ethan Hunt, Ving Rhames as Agent Luther Stickell and Simon Pegg as technician Benji Dunn. 

New Movies Coming in 2023 From Marvel, Netflix, DC and More

Watch Tom Cruise Risk Death to Perform ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ Stunt: ‘The Biggest in Cinema History’

By Michaela Zee

Michaela Zee

• ‘That ’90s Show’ Sets Premiere Dates for Parts 2 and 3 at Netflix; Laura Prepon, Seth Green Among Guest Stars 3 hours ago
• Box Office: ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Climbs to $22 Million Opening Day 13 hours ago
• Jerry Seinfeld Apologizes for Saying Howard Stern Lacks ‘Comedy Chops’ and Has Been ‘Outflanked’ by Comedians With Podcasts 3 days ago

Tom Cruise is choosing to accept a new high-stakes mission in some wild behind-the-scenes footage from “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” The featurette shows the action star and his team preparing for a stunt years in the making, where he will jump a motorcycle off a cliff and turn it into a BASE jump. Just a normal day at work!

“This is far and away the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted,” Cruise says.

“Dead Reckoning” is the seventh installment of the spy thriller franchise, which stars Cruise as Ethan Hunt, a special agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF).

Popular on Variety

Back in May, a teaser trailer revealed a series of death-defying stunts and action sequences in the film, including a sniper battle during a desert storm, multiple car chases and a tease of this stunt.

“Dead Reckoning Part One” is written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously helmed the franchise’s fifth and sixth installments — 2015’s “Rogue Nation” and 2018’s “Fallout.” The film is produced by Cruise, McQuarrie, J.J. Abrams, David Ellison and Jake Meyers, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” is scheduled to premiere in theaters July 14, 2023. Watch the new stunt footage below.

More From Our Brands

Trump says he’d deport ‘anti-american’ protesters in bizarre rally speech, a manhattan mansion by architect robert d. kohn hits the market for $13 million, purdue to turn final four court panels into collectibles, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, snl video: maya rudolph is mother and slays a mother’s day club song, verify it's you, please log in.

Screen Rant

Tom cruise's 14 mission: impossible stunts ranked by most dangerous.

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

I’m Sad Rey’s New Star Wars Movie Cannot Continue The Very Best Idea From The Rise Of Skywalker

Mel gibson's mad max franchise return gets honest response from creator george miller, top gun 3's potential cyclone return gets confident response from jon hamm (with 1 caveat).

Both the Mission: Impossible franchise and its lead actor and producer Tom Cruise have become synonymous with blood-curdling, dangerous stunts. With each new film, Cruise insists on doing his own stunts , taking it upon himself to risk his life in increasingly, treacherous sequences for the quality of the finished product. At this point, Cruise is a bona fide stunt performer whose bravery in dangerous stunts allows the capture of unique moments not seen in other movies.

Luckily, Cruise's training, dedication, and ambition, coupled with experts' guidance, film direction, and stunt coordination make these sequences as safe as possible so that Cruise's stunts can get even bigger. Nonetheless, unpredictable elements and variables and there being nothing Cruise won't do for a Mission: Impossible stunt make them life-threatening. Here are 14 of the most dangerous times Tom Cruise has risked everything to make Mission: Impossible's audience's pulse race.

14 Helicopter-Train Jump in Mission: Impossible

Seemingly shot before Cruise had a death wish, the stunts in Mission: Impossible seem tame compared to that of the franchise's later entries. However, that's not to say there weren't a few perilous moments, and one that stands out is during the film's climax. After tussling with Jon Voight's villain Jim Phelps on top of a TGV bullet train and jumping onto a helicopter that soon explodes, Cruise's Ethan Hunt then jumps back onto the train.

This stunt was filmed on a sound stage in Pinewood Studios using a wind generator firing dangerous winds of 140 mph to emulate the blast. Considering his stunt career trajectory, Cruise was initially reluctant to include the stunt. Therefore, this stunt could be the origin story of his passion for doing his own Mission: Impossible stunts. After completing the jump four times, Cruise was bleeding, bruised, and cut; however, it was a sign of even more danger to come.

13 Cable Drop in Mission: Impossible

One of the most iconic scenes, not only in the Mission: Impossible franchise, but in spy movies, sees Hunt rappel down from the ceiling into a locked-down room. Breaking into Langley, the CIA's headquarters, Hunt is lowered into the room to avoid triggering alarms. As if this weren't dangerous enough, Hunt's wire lifeline is also let go by Franz Kreiger, causing him to plummet to the ground and stop just inches from the floor.

The stunt was all about balance, as Cruise discovered quickly, repeatedly overbalancing and thwacking his head on the floor. Brian De Palma was about to shoot the scene differently when Cruise filled his shoes with pound coins for counterbalance and got the shot. Though this sequence is not one of Cruise's most dangerous stunts, hanging and falling 40 feet from the ceiling for days and repeatedly enduring blows to the head isn't exactly health and safety conscious.

12 Aquarium Explosion in Mission: Impossible

Another entry from the movie that started it all, this stunt involves Cruise outrunning 16 tons of water bursting out of an exploding aquarium. After learning that he's been double-crossed, Hunt makes his escape from his untenable position by throwing a piece of exploding gum at a fish tank in a Prague restaurant. After stunt specialists delivered underwhelming attempts, de Palma grudgingly let Cruise undertake the sequence.

It says something about Cruise's body of stunt work that this one is low down the list. The aquarium sequence was incredibly dangerous when taking into account the water, shattering glass, and miscommunication regarding the exact timing of the stunt. Although Cruise limped away with a hurt ankle (not for the last time), the stunt made for a spectacular scene.

Related: Mission: Impossible Movies Ranked - From The 1996 Original to Fallout

11 Casablanca Bike Chase in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

In a movie with such iconic stunts, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation's bike chase is somewhat eclipsed. The thrilling sequence sees Hunt racing after Rebecca Ferguson's Isla Faust, first by car and then on a BMW S1000RR motorcycle. Although Hunt's chase is unsuccessful and Faust escapes, this sizzling pursuit around the extreme turns of the Casablanca highway put Cruise's life firmly in danger.

Having started riding motorcycles at the age of 10, it is no surprise that Cruise is keen to use them in his stunts. Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie even wrote the script around this motorcycle chase, and it pays off as it injects a high-octane punch brimming with raw danger. Cruise rides up to 130 mph and leans over sometimes just inches from the ground, and all without a helmet.

10 Paris Bike Chase in Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Mission: Impossible - Fallout somehow managed to outdo its predecessor's motorcycle chase, but this time Hunt becomes the hunted. For this sequence, Cruise and his fellow biker stunt performers abandoned their safety rigs, meaning that did the whole chase by free riding. All the turns weaving in and out of oncoming traffic and going well above the Parisian speed limits executed by Cruise, were all as dangerous as they look.

Hurtling through the streets at over 100 mph with cars and bikes pursuing and coming at him head-on sounds like enough to deal with, but McQuarrie revealed Mission: Impossible - Fallout's motorcycle chase was more perilous than it seemed. Between numerous automotive variables, slippery wet cobblestones, and cameras seeking close-ups at stomach-turning speeds just inches away from his head, it's amazing Cruise escaped from shooting this sequence without a scratch. Further, a miscommunication problem with the local stunt drivers meant they sometimes failed to hit their mark.

9 Free Climbing Cliffhanger in Mission: Impossible 2

The opening of the franchise's second film establishes that even in Hunt's time off between missions he enjoys getting his heart pumping. It is during some R&R mountain free climbing at Dead Horse Point in Utah that Hunt gets his mission that sets up M ission: Impossible 2 . Despite safety precautions taken by the film's production, it shows what Cruise is made of.

Unlike his adrenaline junkie character, Cruise wore a safety rope throughout the sequence, however, the margin of error was so chillingly slim that even director John Woo had to look away. The only scene where the free climber in the shot isn't Cruise is when Hunt almost slips and tumbles between two cliffs. Other than that, it's really him hanging off the red rocks, 600 feet above a talus slope and a further 2000 feet from the ground. It's a precarious, impressive feat and a great opening sequence.

Related: Every Time Tom Cruise's Hunt "Died" In The Mission: Impossible Series

8 Roof Jump in Mission: Impossible - Fallout

One of the most famous stunt accidents in recent years, Cruise's ankle break occurred while filming a relatively straightforward stunt in London for Mission: Impossible - Fallout . As he leaps from one building to another, misjudging it horribly, Cruise clatters into the building's side and bends his foot nine ways to Sunday.

Though it might not seem as dangerous as the other stunts on this list, as anyone who has seen the nauseating footage of the injury can attest, this jump looked very painful. It was also an expensive injury, as Cruise was unable to continue filming it halted production for seven weeks and cost the studio $80 million. This was of the few times a Mission: Impossible stunt has gone wrong, and it shows how real the stakes are and that Cruise is, in fact, human.

7 Eye-Watering Knife Fight in Mission: Impossible 2

A similarly disturbing stunt that features in Mission: Impossible 2, and the risk was even higher. During the third-act battle, Dougray Scott's villain Sean Ambrose tries to sink his very sharp knife into Hunt's eye. To ensure maximum realism, Woo wanted Scott to genuinely push down with all of his force onto Cruise's eye. During the stunt, the blade gets as close as a quarter-inch away, Cruise being protected only by a steel cable attached to an overhead rig. Needless to say, if these cables malfunctioned, the consequences could be at the very least life-changing and at the very most life-ending.

6 HALO Jump in Mission: Impossible - Fallout

The mission in Paris in Mission: Impossible - Fallout begins with a high-altitude low-open jump that goes awry when Henry Cavill's character August Walker's oxygen supply malfunctions. The sequence is breathtaking and its realism is palpable with Cruise's face alight as he exhibits both expert skydiving and high-caliber acting. It's the fruit borne by hard work and sheer nerve in the face of danger, and not just from Cruise.

Falling from 25,000 feet, Cruise, Cavill's stunt double, and a videographer jumped 106 times (including rehearsals) and shot the sequence in three-minute takes, once per day, to ensure the dusk lighting was perfect. The scene is three takes stitched together, each more dangerous than the last. Jumping out of the plane is hazardous enough, and there was a serious risk of colliding with Cavill's double when filming Hunt plummeting to Walker's aid. Finally, during the take in which Hunt saves Walker, Cruise had to judge the height at which to stop providing him oxygen and deploy his parachute.

5 The Airbus Scene In Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

During the comic opening scene and plane stunt of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation , Benji Dunn fails to remotely open the door to let Hunt onto a plane in Minsk, Belarus. This gave Cruise the opportunity to perform a stunt in which he clings to the side of an Airbus A400M plane as it takes off. The scene follows Hunt ascending thousands of feet into the air; as the seconds elapse the danger proliferates.

Considering Cruise was bolted to the plane via a harness, at speeds of 260 mph, birds and debris became the biggest dangers. Indeed, the actor was actually injured by a pebble at high speed. The stunt is even more terrifying considering that, according to McQuarrie, Cruise was wearing earplugs and contact lenses, meaning he couldn't see or hear. Further, the toxic fumes from the engine added potential long-term effects to the mix.

Related: Tom Cruise’s New Cliff Stunt Creates A Big Mission: Impossible 8 Challenge

4 Helicopter Chase in Mission: Impossible - Fallout

During the Mission: Impossible - Fallout helicopter chase stunt , Hunt finds himself on a rope hanging from a moving helicopter, eventually crawling up the rope to fly it and chase Cavill's character. Again, all that stands between Cruise and certain death, as he hangs out of the side of the helicopter, is a harness. That said, what makes this sequence especially dangerous is the proximity to which the two helicopters come to each other.

Cruise piloted the helicopter himself after becoming certified in an unusually accelerated timeframe and training hard for 16 hours per day. Moreover, flying in dim seasonal light Cruise got as close as a few feet from the other helicopter's rotor blades. It was so dangerous that director McQuarrie has said that he wouldn't have begun filming the sequence had he known beforehand what it took to capture.

3 Underwater Heist in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

In Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation , Hunt and his team are tasked with swapping a file in an underwater database. When he fails to open the escape hatch, Faust must come and save him to prevent him from drowning. This extremely dangerous stunt had real stakes; both Cruise and Ferguson risked their lives holding their breaths while exerting themselves, burning through oxygen at a rapid rate.

Cruise's underwater Rogue Nation heist stunt was filmed in a succession of continuous shots, meaning the actors had to train to hold their breath for over six minutes. According to McQuarrie, by the end of the stunt's 10-day shooting schedule, Cruise was spent, with nitrogen in his blood and brain fog so bad that he couldn't memorize his lines. As if this life-threatening sequence weren't enough, Cruise also had to perform a jump off of a 120-foot ledge to get Hunt into the subaqueous security system.

2 Climbing the Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

The franchise's most memorable stunt saw Cruise climbing the side of the Burj Khalifa , the tallest building in the world. In Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Hunt had to 11 floors of the 2,722-foot skyscraper to get to the 130th floor with only adhesive gloves, one of which fails. Though secured with a harness, Cruise actually performed this climb almost half a mile in the air, including the part where he plummeted when the glove failed.

Both the scene and the shoot itself were a race against the clock. It was time sensitive to film, as Cruise's harness was at risk of cutting off the actor's circulation, and it doesn't tend to be easy to breathe at that height. This stunt is the epitome of danger, a truly petrifying feat; nevertheless, the sensational scene speaks for itself.

1 ​​ Motorcycle Jump in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Cruise himself has labeled the marquee motorcycle cliff stunt Mission: Impossible 7 as the greatest in cinema history. It's a stunt he's wanted to perform since he was a child, and is the most dangerous yet. It certainly delivers the wow factor in the film's trailers.

Shot in Norway, the stunt involves Cruise riding his motorcycle off of a cliff, propelling into a nosedive, and deploying a parachute. Cruise performed 13,000 training jumps for the sequence to ensure he could execute it with the precision required. This Evel Knievel-like jump that's been all over the marketing campaign has unquestionably piqued fans' interest in the eagerly anticipated next Mission: Impossible installment.

Sources: The New York Times , The Independent

Key Release Dates

Mission: impossible - dead reckoning part one, mission: impossible - dead reckoning part two.

Tom Cruise's 10 best stunts of all time, ranked

• Tom Cruise does his own stunts and it's remarkable what he's been able to pull off.
• Hanging on the side of a plane, skydiving, climbing the world's tallest building — he's done it all.
• Here's a recap of his greatest stunts.

10. For the cargo-plane crash in "The Mummy," Cruise did the stunt inside a NASA plane that trains astronauts for zero gravity.

In 2017's "The Mummy," Cruise finds himself stuck in a cargo plane as it crashes. To pull off a scene like this, actors would typically film it in a controlled setting like a sound stage surrounded by a green screen.

Not Cruise, though.

The star shot the scene in a plane that NASA uses to train astronauts .

The scene was filmed in the plane which had to go up to 25,000 feet to get the look that Cruise was in zero gravity. The plane then did a free fall for 22 seconds.

Cruise did the flight four times to pull off the scene.

9. Cruise flew a helicopter in "Mission: Impossible — Fallout."

For the thrilling helicopter-chase scene in the finale of "Fallout," Cruise spent 16 hours a day training to get to the required 2,000 hours to fly a helicopter on his own.

But Cruise didn't just fly the helicopter. He also pulled off a 360-degree corkscrew dive in it, which would challenge even the most veteran pilot.

8. Cruise is really in a F/A-18 jet for the flight scenes in "Top Gun" Maverick" and had to deal with the G-forces.

When you see Cruise and the cast looking like they are battling G-forces in the jets, complete with distorted faces, it's because they really were.

Cruise and the cast went through training so their dogfight scenes could look as realistic as possible — which meant sitting in the F/A-18 jets as they were spun around and took dramatic dives.

7. Cruise climbed a 2,000-foot cliff in "Mission: Impossible 2."

In the opening scene of 2000's "M: I 2," Cruise is seen climbing a cliff. And yes, that's really him.

Cruise scaled the cliff in Utah with nothing but a safety rope . He also did a 15-foot jump from one cliff to another.

6. Cruise held his breath for six minutes for an underwater stunt in "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation."

In one scene, Cruise's Ethan Hunt has to dive into an underwater safe to retrieve the computer chip that will lead him closer to the villain.

Along with having to hold his breath the whole time , he must keep away from a large crane that's circling around the safe.

For the scene, Cruise first jumped off a 120-foot ledge. Then, in a 20-foot deep-water tank, Cruise held his breath for six minutes.

5. Cruise broke his ankle jumping between buildings while making "Mission: Impossible — Fallout."

Tom Cruise loves to run in his movies; it's become his trademark. But his ability to continue running came into question after a stunt went wrong on the set of "Fallout."

While jumping from one one building to another, Cruise hit the wall of the building the wrong way and broke his ankle.

The accident halted production for months and doctors told Cruise his running days might be over. But, six weeks later, Cruise was back on set doing sprints .

4. Cruise climbed the tallest building in the world for "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol."

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world, and Cruise climbed it.

For "Ghost Protocol," the actor's climb got him up to 1,700 feet in the air .

He also fell four stories down by rappelling on the surface of the building.

3. Cruise did 500 skydives and over 13,000 motocross jumps for the thrilling motorcycle stunt in "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part 1."

For the latest "M:I" movie, Cruise once again pushed himself.

And one stunt in particular is definitely up there as one of his craziest ideas yet: driving a motorcycle off a cliff.

The star did 500 skydives and over 13,000 motocross jumps to prepare for the stunt. And that wasn't just so Cruise had the skill and comfort to pull off the stunt; the training also made it possible for director Christopher McQuarrie and his crew to map out camera angles to capture it. 

The stunt was then done on the first day of principal photography.

"We know either we will continue with the film or we're not. Let's know day one!" Cruise told "Entertainment Tonight" on why it was done on the first day.

Cruise ended up doing the stunt six times on the day of shooting.

2. Cruise hung on the side of a plane as it took off for "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation."

Cruise clung to the side of a massive Airbus A400M plane as it took off and went up to 1,000 feet dealing with speeds of 100 knots.

To protect the actor, he was secured with a wire attached to the plane. He also had special contacts on to protect his eyes from debris.

Cruise did this stunt eight times.

1. Cruise did 106 skydives with a broken ankle to pull off the HALO jump in "Mission: Impossible — Fallout."

While Cruise was healing the broken ankle he sustained earlier in the "Fallout" production, he went and pulled off the most amazing stunt he's done in his career so far.

In the movie, Cruise's character and CIA tagalong August Walker (Henry Cavill) decide to do a HALO jump — a high-altitude, low-open skydive, in which you open your parachute at a low altitude after free-falling for a period of time — out of a giant C-17 plane to get into Paris undetected.

Cruise did this for real by executing the jump 106 times over two weeks , many of them done during golden hour, a very brief period of perfect lighting that occurs just before sunset.

• Main content

Despite His Life Threatening Stunts in Mission Impossible, Tom Cruise May Never Break This World Record by Jackie Chan

T om Cruise is famous for doing all his stunts himself, be it climbing a building or hanging out of a plane. While the actor is best known for those features of his performance, there is one other actor that has him beat on sheer numbers when comes to doing stunts for their films.

Jackie Chan might be known as a martial artist first, but an important part of his acting career has been his tenure as a stuntman, in the Hong Kong film industry and at Hollywood. And this is not just some anecdote that fans cheer about on the internet, it has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Jackie Chan holds the record for most stunts performed by a living actor

Jackie Chan is one of the biggest action stars out there. Not only that, but he is an accomplished producer, writer, and director. The artist first got his start by doing stunts for martial arts films. He has appeared in over a hundred films, most of which have had excessive stunt work that the actor has done himself or in tandem with his stunt team.

The actor’s brand of comedy usually works with slapstick, which requires a lot of stunt work as objects are broken and used as weapons for fight choreography. This usually results in the crew and the actor undertaking a lot of stunt work, even for smaller scenes that are not big action set pieces.

The Guinness Book of World Records awarded Jackie Chan for the Most stunts by a living actor, which was given to the Rush Hour alum in 2012. This record is yet to be broken by any other actor. Despite his extensive work with stunts, Tom Cruise hasn’t even come close to such an achievement. The stunt work that the actor does is undoubtedly unparalleled, but Jackie Chan has Tom Cruise beat on sheer numbers. Given the brand of comedy that Jackie Chan creates, the stunt work required might be not as grand as those of Cruise, but are more numerous in number.

Jackie Chan’s commitment to stunt work has earned him quite a reputation

Jackie Chan is one of the most comedic actors that the industry has seen. Apart from that, the actor also has a great deal of marital arts experience, one that he employs in tandem with his comedy chops. Jackie Chan has also proven himself to be a great actor, one who understands the filmmaking process. With his background in stunt performance, the actor can craft amazing fight scenes that are impactful.

Jackie Chan’s Karate Kid Movie Will Keep Cobra Kai Alive and This 1 Subtle Detail Proves It

Jackie Chan and Tom Cruise are two actors who are known for their stuntwork. While Tom Cruise has an up-down approach to stunt work, wishing to do what the script demands, Jackie Chan works with stunts first, incorporating moments into his script, and working closely with his team to create impactful sequences that resonate with fans.

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘the mummy’ at 25: director on the enduring hit, brendan fraser’s mishap and the tom cruise reboot.

Stephen Sommers tells The Hollywood Reporter about casting rumors (Stallone as Rick?), Fraser's hanging accident and feeling "insulted" about how 2017's Cruise-led revival was handled.

By Ryan Gajewski

Ryan Gajewski

Senior Entertainment Reporter

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

The Mummy director is unwrapping his memories of the popular action film that starred Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as it hits its 25th anniversary.

Related Stories

Why hollywood can't finish a janis joplin biopic, universal pictures taps vanity fair's britt hennemuth.

In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter , director Stephen Sommers recalls Fraser’s health scare during a stunt mishap, the effort to cast James Earl Jones, the Super Bowl spot that changed the movie’s fate, why he skipped the third movie and his feelings about the Tom Cruise -led reboot, released in 2017.

How does it feel to hit 25 years of The Mummy ?

It’s so funny how it just never went away. It’s always on TV somewhere. And I know, especially because the residual checks are great. I hate to say it, but somehow it’s endeared itself to a lot of people.

How did you get involved with the film?

When I was 8 years old, I first saw the Boris Karloff Mummy movie [from 1932], and I loved it. Universal had been trying to remake the Karloff movie for nine years when I got on, and it was going to be a low-budget horror movie set in modern-day. I had my agents call the producers Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel, and they were so sick of The Mummy that they didn’t even hear my pitch and just brought me straight into Universal. When we left, Sean — who’s the good cop of the pair — turned to me and said, “Steve, I thought you did a very good job.” He patted me on the shoulder, and I think they thought they’d never see me again. But I got home about an hour later, and an agent called me up and said, “The studio wants to go for it.”

Did you have any actors in mind while you were writing it?

On the Amazon rental version of the movie, there is a trivia pop-up claiming that Sylvester Stallone was initially offered the role.

You’ve got to be kidding. ( Laughs .) In the ’90s, Stallone was a huge star. Before I got on it, the studio was trying to do it for $15 million. I guarantee you, no one went out to Stallone. He was never mentioned to me.

Does anything else stand out from the casting process?

When I wrote the character of Ardeth Bay, I was trying to get James Earl Jones or Roscoe Lee Browne. He was written as a 70-year-old Black man, but I’m always up for changing things. After James and Roscoe were busy with other projects, they brought in this 23-year-old Israeli guy, Oded Fehr, and he was fantastic.

How did your team deal with the heat?

It was pretty harsh, but it’s a dry heat. We would always get hit by sandstorms, but they’re not hurricanes or anything like that. The ADs would run around and give everybody earplugs and goggles. You couldn’t see six inches in front of your face, but it would only last maybe 10 minutes.

I believe Brendan has talked about taking B12 shots in the butt during the shoot.

Love the B12 shots. Brendan really put his body out there. On the second one, when he is running from all the pygmy mummies, I could see Brendan limping.

Brendan has talked about doing some of his own stunts, during which he endured some bumps and scrapes.

Did you have a sense while you were making the film that it would be such a hit?

We had no idea. I remember around Christmastime in the editing room, going, “For 40 years, people have been making fun of The Mummy .” I suddenly had a panic attack. I’m thinking, “I love mummies and ancient Egypt, but maybe no one else will.” And then the 30-second Super Bowl spot came out. It went from nobody having any interest in seeing a Mummy movie to everybody like, “Holy shit. That was really cool.”

What do you remember about the opening weekend?

I didn’t want to get too excited and was thinking, “If it could maybe open to $20 million, that would be huge.” A producer friend of mine said, “If it does $15 million, you should be over the moon.” At 6:30 on Saturday morning, my phone rings in the kitchen, and no one calls you at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday to tell you bad news. It was [then Universal president] Ron Meyer: “Steve, are you sitting down? The movie’s going to open to $45 million.” That was a big high. That night, a whole bunch of the actors, some of the crew and myself, we all met for steaks at Dan Tana’s.

You went on to direct 2001’s The Mummy Returns . Did you consider directing the third movie that came out in 2008?

Were you consulted for the Tom Cruise film?

No. Actually, I was kind of insulted because the writers and director [Alex Kurtzman] of that Tom Cruise one, no one ever contacted me. I contact people if I was going to take over somebody’s thing. The third one, which Rob [Cohen] directed, it’s kind of my baby. I didn’t want to step on his toes, so I helped produce it. But I had nothing to do with the Tom Cruise one. They never contacted me or called me. I was doing other things, and it’s not like I sat crying. I just think it’s common courtesy.

Brendan has mentioned that he would be game to reprise his role. Has there been any talk of that?

Not that I know. All the people at Universal are new after I left. I don’t really know them, and they haven’t got a hold of me, so I don’t know what’s in their heads. At the same time, it would have to be something really special. Of course, I would work with all of those actors again.

With The Mummy Returns , you helped make The Rock a star.

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Roger corman, giant of independent filmmaking, dies at 98, john krasinski on getting bradley cooper, george clooney, ryan reynolds to join ‘if’: “most yeses of my career”, box office: ‘kingdom of the planet of the apes’ hitting target with $52m-$56m u.s. opening, ‘star wars’: sigourney weaver in talks to join ‘the mandalorian & grogu’, ’28 years later’ set for 2025 release date from sony, ‘the fall guy’ writer drew pearce talks that a-list cameo and the ‘mission: impossible’ death he considered.

site categories

Roger corman dies: ‘the little shop of horrors’ director & independent filmmaker was 98, emily blunt reveals the scariest stunt of her career.

By Bruce Haring

Bruce Haring

pmc-editorial-manager

More Stories By

• Rudy Moreno Dies: Comedian And Actor Was 66
• Pro-Palestinian Protests Outside Eurovision Competition Demand Removal Of Israeli Contestant – Update
• ‘NCIS Hawai’i’ Cast Joins Together On The Beach To Celebrate Series

Emily Blunt was in 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow, a Tom Cruise sci-fi thriller that required some wire stunts that ended in spills.

But that wasn’t the scariest thing she’s ever done.

Speaking to People , Blunt cites 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns as her biggest stunt challenge. “That entrance was very stressful for me,” she recalled.

Director Rob Marshall requested a fourth take. “I did three takes and I could see Rob gearing up to do another one. I was like, ‘Nope, no, no, no, I’m done.’ It was over,” Blunt said.

The Mary Poppins film’s other big stunt had Mary zooming backwards into the depths of a magical bathtub. “That was okay. That was a slide,” she said.

Must Read Stories

‘kingdom of the planet of the apes’ reigns with $52m-$55m opening frame.

UK Gov’t Fires Warning Shot At Netflix Amid Safeguarding Scandal

Eurovision song contest crowns winner amid protests & controversy, gina carano hit back at disney’s motion to dismiss suit: “personal political beliefs”.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.

Read More About:

Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

The Mummy Director Debunks Rumors About Tom Cruise & Brad Pitt, Brendan Fraser Stunt

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

The re-release of Brendan Fraser ’s 1999 classic The Mummy opened in April in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary. According to Box Office Mojo , the action-adventure movie grossed over $1 million across 1,200 theaters in North America. Now that audiences are getting back into The Mummy spirit, its director Stephen Sommers has already debunked early casting rumors surrounding Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as well as a dangerous B r endan Fraser stunt.

During Brendan Fraser’s career resurgence with The Whale , rumors about The Mummy’s production from its 1999 release resurfaced. As Sommers looked back on the film with The Daily Beast , he debunked a casting rumor that said Cruise and Pitt were first considered for the lead role of Rick O’Connell before Fraser.

“I read somewhere recently that we originally went to Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt [for the role of Rick O’Connell] — but no. My editor read the first draft and right away said, ‘Your lead guy is Brendan Fraser,'” Sommers recalls. “We needed a guy who could throw a punch, take a punch, had a wink in his eye and a sense of humor, and there weren’t a lot of actors at that point who did that. Brendan can make fun of himself and goes all out. He was the only one considered from the get-go. [Universal] weren’t looking for a star; the title was the star.”

Before The Mummy, Brendan Fraser starred in George of the Jungle . Grossing an impressive $174.4 million at the box office, Fraser absolutely had the star power to pull off the lead role.

Tom Cruise did end up making his way to The Mummy franchise in the 2017 remake. Despite aiming to launch Universal ‘s Dark Universe , its poor box office and negative reviews led to that universe’s cancellation.

What About the Rumor Surrounding Brendan Fraser’s Mummy Stunt?

There was another rumor that Brendan Fraser almost died during The Mummy when a hanging scene went wrong. Stephen Sommers claimed the dangers surrounding that scary moment weren’t as bad as headlines made it out to be.

“Brendan put the rope around his neck and got too into it,” said Sommers. “He’s a very eager guy and was like ‘tighten it up . . . make it tight around the neck.’”

Shockingly enough, Brendan Fraser’s carotid arteries cut off during that scene which made The Whale actor go unconscious. Sommers assured The Daily Beast that everyone made sure to stay with him to see he was okay. When Fraser woke up, the American film director said the lead actor had no recollection of what happened.

Another wild rumor existed that The Mummy cast had kidnapping insurance taken out on them while shooting in Morocco.

“My sister sent me an article that said ‘Stephen Sommers took out some sort of insurance on all the actors and never told them.’ No,” said Sommers. “Studios probably take out insurance in case someone dies halfway through but I certainly wouldn’t be the one to take out insurance on any of my actors. We were very well protected in Morocco.”

Luckily, no amount of rumors stopped production and The Mummy went on to become a blockbuster classic you can relive theaters now.

The post The Mummy Director Debunks Rumors About Tom Cruise & Brad Pitt, Brendan Fraser Stunt appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More .

Recommended Stories

Chaotic brawl breaks out, punching allegations surface after nycfc’s 3-2 win over toronto fc.

Toronto alleged on Saturday that NYCFC’s head coach cornered and punched one of their players at the last match between the two clubs.

NBA playoffs: Jayson Tatum, Celtics hold off late Cavaliers rally to take Game 3

The Celtics now hold a 2-1 lead over the Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference semifinals series.

NBA playoffs: P.J. Washington shines again as Mavericks hold off Thunder in Game 3, take 2-1 series lead

P.J. Washington has scored 57 combined points in the last two games to lead Dallas past the Thunder.

Why are social media users blocking celebrities and influencers on TikTok? A look at the #Blockout movement

Here's why some social media users are blocking stars from their feeds after the Met Gala.

U.K. agency releases tools to test AI model safety

The U.K. Safety Institute, the U.K.'s recently established AI safety body, has released a toolset designed to "strengthen AI safety" by making it easier for industry, research organizations and academia to develop AI evaluations. Called Inspect, the toolset -- which is available under an open source license, specifically an MIT License -- aims to assess certain capabilities of AI models, including models' core knowledge and ability to reason, and generate a score based on the results. In a press release announcing the news on Friday, the Safety Institute claimed that Inspect marks "the first time that an AI safety testing platform which has been spearheaded by a state-backed body has been released for wider use."

28 Years Later is coming to theaters next summer

Fans have been waiting a long, long time for another installment in the 28 Days Later franchise, and we now know when the next followup is coming out: June 20, 2025. 28 Years Later will be directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland.

SAP’s chief sustainability officer isn’t interested in getting your company to do the right thing

SAP chief sustainability officer Sophia Mendelsohn has been on the job since September, but her career really goes back to her undergraduate years at Harvard when she studied sustainability. Ever since her first job working in China, she observed the connection between prosperity and sustainability. “I've been in sustainability a minute, before it was cool,” Mendelsohn told TechCrunch.

The 40+ best Amazon deals this weekend: Save up to 80% on vacuums, gardening tools, tech goodies and more

We've got our eye on a viral Bissell carpet cleaner on rare sale for $99, plus an Apple iPad marked down by $80, to name a few.

Thousands of Amazon shoppers rave about this $7 travel pill organizer that's the size of a pack of gum

The super-sleek fold-up case has not one but two locks to keep your meds from spilling out.

Bill Belichick will appear on every ESPN 'ManningCast' this season, says Peyton Manning

Bill Belichick will appear on every episode of ESPN's "ManningCast" this season, according to Peyton Manning, The legendary coach is expected to join the show during the first quarter.