Tom Cruise hangs UPSIDE DOWN on the wing of a WWII Biplane for Mission Impossible 8 stunt
He’s renowned for performing his own stunts in his Hollywood blockbusters.
And Tom Cruise may have pulled of his most ambitious feat yet as he was seen hanging upside down from the wing of a World War II biplane while filming scenes his upcoming Mission Impossible 8 movie.
The actor, 59, was seen filming the death-defying stunt at Duxford Airfield in Cambridge this week, with the 1941 Boeing B75N1 Stearman biplane performing a stomach-churching loop-the-loop and nose-dive with the actor onboard.
Action man: Tom Cruise may have pulled of his most ambitious feat yet as he was seen hanging upside down from the wing of a World War II biplane while filming scenes his upcoming Mission Impossible 8 movie
For the past few weeks, the action man had been taking flying lessons at the airfield in preparation for exhilarating scenes for the next instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise, which is set for release on July 7, 2023.
And the hard work appears to have paid off as the Tom took to the skies during rehearsals and was seen climbing out of the bright yellow biplane as it soared to 2000 feet.
The Hollywood actor, dressed in a brown jumpsuit and helmet, was then seen bravely clinging onto the wing of the 80-year-old aircraft as it performed a nosedive and an array of aerobatics in a jaw-dropping stunt.
Wow: The actor, 59, was seen filming the death-defying stunt at Duxford Airfield in Cambridge this week, with the 1941 Boeing B75N1 Stearman biplane performing a stomach-churching loop-the-loop and nose-dive with the actor onboard
Quick learner: For the past few weeks, the action man had been taking flying lessons at the airfield in preparation for exhilarating scenes for the next instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise, which is set for release on July 7, 2023
Brave: And the hard work appears to have paid off as the Tom took to the skies during rehearsals and was seen climbing out of the bright yellow biplane as it soared to 2000 feet
What a sight: The bright yellow warplane soared through the sky with the actor on the wing
Daredevil: Tom proved he certainly had a head for heights as he clung onto the plane’s wing at 2000 feet in the air
The actor took off from the ground sitting in the front sit of the warplane, with the pilot taking the controls in the backseat.
The plane then took off and climbed to over 2000 feet, at which point the father-of-three clambered out of the cock pit and crawled onto the left wing.
As the plane soared across the Cambridgeshire countryside, Tom – who was attached to the plane by a harness – perilously dangled himself upside down from the wing.
Look at him go! The film star made for quite the sight as he flew across the Cambridgeshire countryside
Prepared: The Vanilla Sky actor was seen chatting with his team ahead of take-off
Practice makes perfect: The star was seen practising his manoeuvre ahead of the plane taking off
Safe and secure: Tom and the team inspected the actor’s harness, which would keep him in place as he took to the sky
Preparation: Tom was seen gripping onto the harness and pushing his leg up as he practiced his move
Soaring: Tom was attached to a harness while a second plane stayed close below
The plane then flipped upside down, which then resulted in Tom sitting upright on the wing in the jaw-dropping move.
The World War II craft then performed a dive and a loop-the-loop as the A-lister clung on, before he then made his way back to the cockpit.
A second plane was also seen flying alongside the Boeing B75N1 during the rehearsals for the nail-biting stunt.
Getting ready: The actor took off from the ground sitting in the front sit of the warplane, with the pilot taking the controls in the backseat
Woah! The plane then took off and climbed to over 2000 feet, at which point the father-of-three clambered out of the cock pit and crawled onto the left wing
Easy does it: As the plane soared across the Cambridgeshire countryside, Tom – who was attached to the plane by a harness – perilously dangled himself upside down from the wing
Flying high: The plane then flipped upside down, which then resulted in Tom sitting upright on the wing in the jaw-dropping move
Winging it: The World War II craft then performed a dive and a loop-the-loop as the A-lister clung on, before he then made his way back to the cockpit
Brilliant: The pilot of the WWII plane did a vertical circle in the air before performing a nose dive
Staying close: A second plane was also seen flying alongside the Boeing B75N1 during the rehearsals for the nail-biting stunt
Companion: The darker aircraft flew just below Tom’s plane amid the nail-biting stunt
Stunning images see the brightly-coloured plane soaring across the sky before coming down to land at the airfield.
Tom’s dedication to filming comes as the previous film in the franchise hasn’t even hit cinemas yet, with Mission Impossible 7 set for release on September 30, 2022.
It was previously reported that the Minority Report star was learning to fly a World War II plane for the eighth installment of the action franchise.
A source told The Sun : ‘Tom had started to learn to fly a Boeing Stearman biplane earlier this year for a major stunt scene in Mission: Impossible 8.
‘It’s obviously a highly skilled task but as usual he has no plans to cut any corners or bring in a stuntman.’
The insider went on: ‘Filming has only just wrapped on Mission: Impossible 7 but Tom has not given himself a break. And trying to film jaw-dropping scenes with an 80-year-old plane is particularly dangerous.’
The action man is renowned for doing his own stunts in his films, and it appears the eighth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise will be no be different.
Cruise holds a helicopter license and a fixed-wings pilot’s license.
The outing comes after the thespian recently shocked fans with his changing appearance while at an LA Dodgers game.
Last month Cruise appeared almost unrecognisable to some fans, as he enjoyed Game 2 of the National League Division Series in San Francisco.
Cruise was enjoying a night out at Oracle Park to watch the San Francisco Giants play the Los Angeles Dodgers with his son Connor, 26, by his side on October 9.
While many Twitter users genuinely appeared skeptical that it was indeed Cruise at the game, others likened his appearance to Canadian stand-up Norm Macdonald, the former SNL star who passed away last month.
Others speculated as to how the actor’s face had changed.
‘Tom Cruise has either gained weight, or he has a face full of fillers. I’m going with the fillers,’ one person wrote.
‘Tom Cruise has either gained weight, or he has a face full of fillers. I’m going with the fillers,’ one person wrote.
Another simply asked: ‘What has Tom Cruise done to his face?’
On top of the world: Tom certainly was ahead of the pack as he bravely pulled off his own daring stunt
Impressive: Tom’s dedication to filming comes as the previous film in the franchise hasn’t even hit cinemas yet, with Mission Impossible 7 set for release on September 30, 2022
Up for it: It was previously reported that the Minority Report star was learning to fly a World War II plane for the eighth installment of the action franchise
A source said: ‘It’s obviously a highly skilled task but as usual he has no plans to cut any corners or bring in a stuntman’
Non-stop: ‘Filming has only just wrapped on Mission: Impossible 7 but Tom has not given himself a break’
However, some leaped to his defense, with a fan arguing: ‘Tom Cruise putting some weight on in his face because he’s prob not filming a movie requiring him to be in not-human shape and getting memed all over for it feels awfully yucky to me.’
Another Twitter user wrote: ‘At first I felt a little bad that everyone was making fun of Tom Cruise’s face because it honestly looks like some sort of side effect to me.’
They added: ‘But then I remembered he’s spent decades criticizing people for taking meds. Drag that pillow face.
High-flyer: The action man is renowned for doing his own stunts in his films, and it appears the eighth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise will be no be different
Mission accomplished: The film legend was determined to do all of his own stunts for the movie
Always ready for action: Cruise holds a helicopter license and a fixed-wings pilot’s license
Adventurer: He’s renowned for performing his own stunts in his Hollywood blockbusters
It comes after Tom was recently said to have split from his co-star Hayley Atwell.
An insider told The Sun about the split: ‘It has been a very intense period of filming together.
‘They really got on well – but as the latest film winds down they’ve decided to go back to being friends.
Group effort: A whole team of staff were gathered around the warplane before it took off
Hands on role: Tom was seen addressing the staff who watched him attentively
Momentary: The star temporarily pulled down his masked as he spoke to his team
Looking good: Despite being 80-years-old, the craft appeared in good condition
‘Their filming schedules are very full-on, and Tom has a number of other commitments coming up and is always shooting around by private helicopter and jet so it just ran its course.
‘But they’re still happy to work together. It’s a shame, but just one of those things. They still get on well.’
MailOnline contacted both Tom and Hayley’s representatives for comment at the time.
Courageous: Tom didn’t let fear get in the way of filming a great scene
Coming soon: Mission Impossible 8 is set for cinematic release on July 7, 2023
