TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

Everything to Know About Tom Cruise’s New Movie Set in Actual Space

US actor Tom Cruise attends a press conference for the film 'Top Gun: Maverick'
ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images

CGI won’t be necessary when it comes to Tom Cruise’s newest project. The actor has fought aliens in robot suits, traveled to the depths of the galaxy, and has flown numerous types of planes and jets, all with the help of movie magic. But when it comes to the space walk he’s set to take for his new film with director Doug Liman, the plan is this time for it to be the real deal.

Universal Pictures is backing Cruise and Liman’s new movie, which plans to film at least some scene in actual space. Donna Langley, the chairman of Universal told the BBC that the hope is for Cruise to head up in a rocket to the International Space Station and from there, to be “the first civilian to do a spacewalk outside of the space station.”

To help with that goal, Liman and Universal have enlisted both SpaceX and NASA. Liman also reportedly has a budget of around $200 million, according to Variety. Cruise, apparently, is said to be getting anywhere from $30 to $60 million for his role as the star and producer of the film.

Cruise and Liman originally pitched the film, which doesn’t yet have a name, to Langley during the pandemic over Zoom. Langley clarified that the majority of the movie will actually take place on earth. Cruise will play “a down-on-his-luck guy who finds himself in the position of being the only person who could save Earth” and he will eventually have to “go up to space to save the day.” As of now, there isn’t much more information on the plot of the movie, or the timeline for its filming.