Hollywood A-list actor Tom Cruise could make history by becoming the first civilian to walk in space outside of the International Space Station.
The “Top Gun: Maverick” star and “The Bourne Identity” director Doug Liman reportedly pitched a film idea to Universal Filmed Entertainment Group that would involve sending Cruise into space.
Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley announced the news last week during an interview with BBC News.
“Tom Cruise is taking us to space — he’s taking the world to space,” Langley said. “That’s the plan.”
Langley said that the project in development with Cruise has contemplated the “Mission: Impossible” star blasting off in a rocket up to the space station, “hopefully” making Cruise “the first civilian to do a spacewalk outside of the space station.”
But Langley emphasized the majority of the film would take place on earth until Cruise’s character, who she described as “a down-on-his-luck guy who finds himself in the position of being the only person who could save Earth,” takes a heroic journey up to space to save the day.
Fox News reports Cruise and Liman had initially pitched the film idea to Langley through a Zoom call during the pandemic.
She said Cruise directly reached out to her, saying, “Guys, I’ve got this great project, and here it is.”
Two years ago, Space Shuttle Alamance confirmed in a tweet that an Axiom Space and NASA would fly Cruise and Liman on a tourist mission aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon. With one seat left to fill at the time, the crew would launch in October 2021.
So its confirmed that @CommanderMLA is flying the @Axiom_Space @SpaceX #CrewDragon tourist mission with Director @DougLiman & Tom Cruise. One seat still to be filled. They are to launch in October, 2021. pic.twitter.com/dn6SLvCOGz
— Space Shuttle Almanac (@ShuttleAlmanac) September 19, 2020
Variety reports Universal signed on to back the Cruise space project with a budget in the $200 million range.
Liman and Cruise have previously worked together on films such as “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014) and “American Made” (2017). But this would be the first project where the pair, or anyone, would film out of this world.
“When a producer proposes something crazy to you, like, let’s try to shoot a movie in outer space, and NASA and SpaceX sign on, and Tom Cruise signs on… you’re just a little bit more receptive,” Liman told Thrillist.
Inside sources told Variety that Cruise could earn between $30 million and $60 million for his role as a producer and star of the film.
Cruise also made film history recently with “Top Gun: Maverick” becoming Paramount Pictures’ highest earning film at the domestic box office, surpassing the $600 million milestone.
