No stunt doubles needed for the next instalment of the blockbuster spy saga.
Tom Cruise is still the closest thing Hollywood has to a real-life action man. For his next trick, the 58-year old will ride a motorcycle off of the 1,246-metre high Helsetkopen, a well-known tourist spot in the Norwegian mountains.
He accomplished the feat on the 6th of September, after a few helicopter journeys up the mountain following some failed attempts. The leaked video is under a minute long – but it catches the jump, which makes for nail-biting viewing.
As the motorbike speeds up to the ramp, it’s not immediately clear that he’s strapped to a parachute. The tension is short-lived, though, and after the daredevil free-fall comes a sigh of relief as Tom floats cooly to safety.
Hundreds of Norwegians flocked to the site to watch Cruise pull off the stunt. A spectator named Ole Arnstein Ringdal told Norwegian news station, NRK, that it took the actor four tries to get it right. ‘After the third jump, he came over and talked to us from a distance of twenty metres. He loves nature here, and is very grateful for the hospitality he has experienced.’
‘Action…’ Caption
As a teaser for fans, Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie shared a picture on instagram before the filming started. Not only does the photo showcase the impressive dimensions of the ramp, but it also gives a breathtaking view of the snowy peaks in Norway.
Rumours were going around whilst the ramp was being built that it would be used for a motorbike stunt, and it turns out the speculations were spot on.
‘Action…’, reads the caption, signalling the beginning of what is set to be an epic filming process for Mission: Impossible 7 that matches the reputation of the franchise. The picture also shows an anonymous figure standing on the ramp and taking in the scenery. Let’s hope they’ve got a parachute, too.
This definitely isn’t Tom’s first stunt – he’s performed some pretty dangerous moves before in previous Mission: Impossible films – in Rogue Nation, he dangled from an aeroplane whilst it took off. In another film, Fallout, Cruise even piloted a helicopter in the crash scene, pulling off tricks like a downward spiral. To top it off, he actually broke his ankle whilst filming the film’s rooftop chase.
Mission Impossible 7 is scheduled to release in November 2021. We’re willing to bet that the film crew will get through a few more parachutes in the meantime.
