Tom Cruise scene had Mission: Impossible crew in ‘absolute terror’ behind the scenes

Actor had to train for years for one particularly dangerous stunt

The crew of Mission Impossible were left in “absolute terror” while Tom Cruise filmed a stunt for the latest entry, Dead Reckoning Part One.

Cruise is known for doing his own ambitious stunts in the popular action franchise, with previous films having seen him scale the outside of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa building, dangle from the exterior of a plane taking off, and perform a HALO skydive.

In the new film, released in cinemas this month, Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt is seen speed flying.

Speed flying is a sport in which participants use a small paraglider wing to rapidly descend great heights, such as mountains.

Cruise spent years training for the sequence, which is described as one of the most dangerous the actor has ever undertaken.

“It’s a very beautiful and delicate sport,” Cruise says, in a behind-the-scenes featurette. “We’re gonna do spirals, and we’re landing at an incredibly high speed, over 80 kilometers an hour.”

The film’s director, Christopher McQuarrie, says in the clip that speed gliding is “one of the most dangerous sports in the world”.

“While it may look similar, speed-flying is not skydiving,” the filmmaker continued. “Skydiving is fairly predictable. Speed-flying is very unpredictable.

“Flying close to rocks looks quite beautiful. Behind the scenes, we were all in absolute terror.”

Tom Cruise fights in ‘Dead Reckoning’ (© 2023 Paramount Pictures)

Earlier this week, Cruise was seen sharing his enthusiasm for rival summer blockbusters Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Oppenheimer and Barbie in a viral social media post.

“This summer is full of amazing movies to see in theatres,” Cruise wrote on Twitter.

“Congratulations, Harrison Ford, on 40 years of Indy and one of the most iconic characters in history. I love a double feature, and it doesn’t get more explosive (or more pink) than one with Oppenheimer and Barbie.”

Alongside the post, he shared pictures of himself at a cinema, standing in front of posters for the films while holding ticket stubs.

Dial of Destiny, the fifth film in the Indiana Jones franchise, was released in cinemas this week. Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s real-life drama focusing on the creation of the atomic bomb, is out on the same day as Barbie later this month.

Barbie is adapted from the popular toy line, and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is out in cinemas on 12 July.