Tom Cruise is performing the biggest stunt in franchise history for Mission: Impossible 7, and it further proves why the action series needs him. Cruise has spent a good portion of the last two decades playing Ethan Hunt in Paramount’s Mission: Impossible franchise. The movies have become increasingly known for their incredible stunts, with Cruise at the forefront of this push. He’s risked his life on several occasions to pull off miraculous feats to thrill audiences, such as scaling the tallest building in the world for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol or holding onto the side of a plane in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
It comes as no surprise that Cruise plans to top himself yet again with Mission: Impossible 7. The upcoming movie has already teased plenty of big action set pieces, but early footage for the movie hypes one as the franchise’s most dangerous stunt. Mission: Impossible 7’s stunt involves Cruise racing a dirtbike off the side of a cliff and base jumping to the ground below. He free falls for approximately 6 seconds after letting the bike go before pulling his parachute, which is an eternity when plummeting to the ground.
After being described as the most dangerous stunt the Mission: Impossible franchise has attempted, those involved also said it is the biggest stunt in film history. Cruise trained for over a year to pull off this stunt safely and on his own, and the reactions to the behind-the-scenes look at the stunt make it sound like another dazzling set-piece.
Mission: Impossible 7’s dangerous stunt is the latest proof that the franchise needs Tom Cruise to continue succeeding. He is one of the most vocal supporters of the franchise pushing the limits of what they can achieve. While it takes an entire team to pull off Mission: Impossible’s incredible stunts, they wouldn’t be possible if Cruise wasn’t advocating for them.
Not only is he willing to do the work to pull them off, but Cruise is also in a rare position to have the power in Hollywood to demand they are done this way. Cruise might not have a billion-dollar movie to his name, but he is unquestionably one of the biggest stars in the movie industry. His influence spreads from ensuring Mission: Impossible 7 followed strict filming protocols during the pandemic to pulling off another improbable stunt.
The perfect combination of Cruise’s daredevil tendencies and Mission: Impossible’s action-heavy approach could be why the franchise hasn’t moved beyond him. There was a plan in the past to have Jeremy Renner take over the lead role, but those plans quickly changed and saw Renner effectively exit the franchise.
Spinoffs have also been lightly considered, with fans often wanting Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust to get her own movie. While there is room for the Mission: Impossible franchise to grow, it isn’t easy to imagine others following in Cruise’s footsteps. He is one of the few movie stars who have the ability and willingness to make dangerous stunts like Mission: Impossible 7’s possible.
Cruise’s interest in doing practical stunts for Mission: Impossible is one of the many reasons that the franchise has found a second life in recent years. While other blockbusters rely heavily on CGI and take their action to absurd lengths, Cruise has helped keep this franchise’s action real. For that reason, Cruise and this series are now forever tied together.
Cruise has shown he can deliver hits outside of Ethan Hunt’s story, but the Mission: Impossible franchise hasn’t had to attempt that yet. If Paramount continues the franchise after Cruise exits (whenever that happens), they’ll have to find someone else who wants to do the impossible stunts. Failing to do so could bring the franchise to a disappointing end. Thankfully, Mission: Impossible 7 won’t be the last time Tom Cruise is the lead and risking it all for the entertainment of audiences – with Mission: Impossible 8 already teased to have even more dangerous stunts.