Tom Cruise is officially shooting a movie in space, NASA confirms
Tom Cruise is making a movie in space — which is pretty much the most Tom Cruise news ever.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration confirmed it is working with Cruise, 57, to shoot a film at the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth about every 90 minutes from 250 miles above our heads. He’ll be the first A-list actor to perform such a task.
"NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station!" Jim Bridenstine, the current administrator of NASA, tweeted on Tuesday.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded to the tweet, writing, "Should be a lot of fun!"
This collaboration, as Bridenstine stressed, is an important one. It’s meant to garner interest in STEM careers among young people.
"We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality," he wrote.
This won’t be much of a stretch for Cruise — a performer known for continuously upping the ante by tackling stunts himself. On top of that, he previously lent his voice to narrate "Space Station 3D," a 2002 IMAX documentary about the International Space Station.
This news comes a few weeks after Cruise's latest movie, "Top Gun: Maverick," a sequel to the 1986 classic "Top Gun," was delayed from June 24 to Dec. 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the next two installments in Cruise’s "Mission: Impossible" franchise have been delayed. "Mission: Impossible 7" was set to release July 23, 2021, and has been moved to Nov. 19, 2021, while "Mission: Impossible 8" has shifted from Aug. 5, 2022, to Nov. 4, 2022.
