TOM CRUISE IN SPACE!
With the Cruiser set to make the first feature film in space, we hear from a real astronaut on the challenges he’ll face
An in-depth look at Cruise’s plan to make a movie off-planet. Whatever will be next: Chris Evans on Mars? The Rock on a rock orbiting Saturn?
JUST GETTING UP THERE
Cruise has already filmed in zero gravity — for 2017’s The Mummy — but going into actual space will require months of intensive training. “It’s a big hurdle,” says former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino. “I imagine he’ll be up there [on the ISS] for a while, so he’ll need to be trained beforehand in all the basic stuff — responding to emergencies, using the toilet, sleeping arrangements. And if he wants to go outside the craft, on a spacewalk, that’ll require months of extra training, too.” And unfortunately for Tom, there are no craft services in space. “Nobody’s going to cook for him — you cook for yourself up there,” says Massimino. “But it’s not too big a chore: it’s just heating stuff up.”
MAKING SURE THE CAMERAS DON’T FLOAT OFF (OR FREEZE)
“In terms of filming, the major issue is stability,” explains Massimino. “I was involved with making an IMAX movie in space [IMAX: Hubble 3D], and to keep our cameras steady we would attach them to the handrails with a ‘magic arm’ — a piece of gear similar to a tripod, which you can move around to get the right shot. The other option is to use a handheld 4K camera, and keep the cameraman stable using foot loops. If Tom wants to shoot outside the craft, he’ll need a Gopro or helmet camera, but these will require thermal protection garments to shield them from the extreme cold.”
SQUEEZING THE CREW IN
Director Doug Liman, Cruise’s co-conspirator on the project, reportedly plans to join his star in space. But there’s no room for runners, publicists or personal trainers aboard the ISS. “Typically, it has a crew of between three and six people,” Massimino tells us. “That can go up to nine, but you definitely can’t fit a giant crew up there. Plus, you have to consider oxygen supplies, resources, food.”
NOT BEING ABLE TO RUN
A Tom Cruise film is not a Tom Cruise film without Tom Cruise running. However, the star will find his trademark move difficult to pull off in space. Says Massimino: “If you want to exercise on a treadmill up there, you wear a harness to stop yourself drifting away. If you’re not harnessed, you’ll float off the moment you put a foot down. So, no running — but Tom will have a lot of fun flying through the craft.”
FIGURING OUT THE STUNTS
He clung on to the side of an Airbus 400 in mid-air in Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, but could Cruise go one better and hang off a spaceship? “Hanging onto a spaceship while you’re in zero gravity is actually pretty easy,” laughs Massimino. “You’re travelling with it, at the same momentum, so you just need to lightly grab on. The real problem would be if [Cruise] came undone from his tether. We wear a rescue jetpack when spacewalking, so Tom would have to use that to try to get back to the ship. Now, that would be an exciting stunt…”