During a masterclass at the Cannes Film Festival, where “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is premiering, director Christopher McQuarrie recounted a terrifying moment during filming in Africa where Tom Cruise appeared to lose consciousness while performing a stunt on the wing of a biplane.
The 62-year-old actor, known for doing his stunts and piloting the plane solo, was lying flat on the wing after spending 22 minutes outside the cockpit, exceeding safety guidelines by 10 minutes.
McQuarrie explained that exiting the cockpit at such high speeds felt like being on another planet, with winds exceeding 140 miles per hour and a lack of effective oxygen intake despite breathing.
McQuarrie revealed that Cruise pushed himself to extreme physical exhaustion, becoming unable to lift himself from the wing. The crew couldn’t determine if he was conscious, as his arms hung limply.
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Cruise, a trained acrobatics pilot flying alone, had a pre-arranged hand signal for emergencies, which he couldn’t perform while unconscious. Adding to the tension, the plane was running low on fuel, with only six minutes remaining.
However, Cruise eventually regained consciousness, pulled himself up, and briefly put his head in the cockpit to replenish oxygen before safely piloting the plane back to land.
McQuarrie emphasised the extraordinary nature of this feat, stating that “No one on Earth can do that but Tom Cruise,” which was met with enthusiastic applause.
When questioned about managing fear, the actor highlighted the extensive preparation involved in his films, ultimately stating that he enjoys the feeling of encountering the unknown, describing it as an exciting emotion rather than a paralysing one.
This incident was just one of several scares during the making of the $400 million film, the eighth in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, known for its elaborate and dangerous action sequences.
McQuarrie hinted that the plane scene wasn’t the only one with high stakes, referencing another dramatic moment where Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, dives inside a submerged Russian nuclear submarine in the Bering Sea.
The director detailed the complex and lengthy two-and-a-half-year construction of the set in London, emphasising the unique challenge of testing such a massive, rotating, and submersible structure. A test with a model resulted in its destruction, highlighting the inherent risks.
Neither Cruise nor McQuarrie confirmed if “The Final Reckoning” would be the last film in the series, with Cruise only referring to it as the “culmination of three decades of work.”
The film is beginning its global release, premiering in India, Australia, and South Korea this weekend, followed by Europe and the Middle East on May 21 and North America on May 23.
