By Andrew MARSZAL -Japan Today
LAS VEGAS
Tom Cruise sealed his reputation for performing his own dangerous stunts as “Mission Impossible” footage of him riding a motorbike off a treacherous cliff stunned movie theater bosses at their annual convention Thursday.
Paramount used its slot at the CinemaCon trade show in Las Vegas to air footage from its upcoming features “Mission: Impossible 7” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” with the two films’ star Cruise, 59, appearing remotely via video.
“This is far and away the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted,” said Cruise, introducing the stunt. “We’ve been working on this for years. We’re going to shoot it in Norway and it will be a motorcycle jump off a cliff into a base jump. I’ve wanted to do this since I was a little kid.”
Behind-the-scenes footage showed Cruise preparing by performing more than 500 skydives and 13,000 motocross jumps before traveling to an elaborate ramp constructed on a remote Norwegian cliff to shoot the stunt itself.
The film’s director, Christopher McQuarrie, nervously watched through his hands as Cruise successfully opened his parachute and landed safely before proclaiming: “I think I can hold onto the bike a little longer.”