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VIDEO: Tom Cruise pulls surprise plane stunt introducing new Mission Impossible trailer

Top Hollywood actor Tom Cruise performed another death-defying stunt on the top of a biplane just to announce the trailer for his latest movie, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1”. The trailer first released on Wednesday.

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Cruise and Chris McQuarrie, the filmmaker behind Cruise’s latest hit “Top Gun: Maverick ,” took to the skies on a pair of red and yellow biplanes to film an introduction for the movie trailer.

The intro video began with Cruise standing on top of the red biplane as it flew hundreds of feet in the air. If Cruise did have any kind of safety restraint as he stood on the fuselage of the plane, it was diligently edited out of the shot, in keeping with his signature brand of risk-taking.

“Hi everyone,” Cruise began the video with a friendly wave, practically yelling over the high winds as he stood atop the moving plane. “Wish I could be there with you.”

“I’m sorry for all the extra noise,” he continued. “As you can see, we are filming the latest installment of Mission: Impossible.”

“We’re making this film for audiences to see in the big screen in your wonderful theaters,” he said before McQuarrie flew up alongside him in the yellow biplane.

“Listen, uh I hate to interrupt but we’ve really got to roll, we are losing the light and low on fuel,” McQuarrie said.

“Oh yeah, we’ve got to roll, huh. Low on fuel, that’s not good I’m — I’m sorry,” Cruise said. “We’ve got to go.”

“Oh wait, did you tell them about the thing,” McQuarrie added.

“Oh yeah the thing, yeah we have a first glimpse at the Mission Impossible trailer and a very special screening of Top Gun: Maverick in its entirety,” Cruise said. “So please enjoy. . . and hey, let’s all have a great summer.”

“And action,” McQuarrie said.

“We’ll see you at the movies,” Cruise added as he held on while the pilot of the red biplane rolled the aircraft over and plunged towards the canyon below.

As Cruise made his dramatic exit, the camera panned out to the pair of biplanes before eventually cutting to the new “Mission: Impossible” trailer.

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Tom Cruise Pulls Off Insane Sky-Diving Stunt To Promote Next 'Mission: Impossible' Movie, Thanks Audiences For 'Top Gun: Maverick' Success

Tom Cruise kicks ass.

The 60-year-old movie star, who has a penchant for pulling off death-defying stunts to entertain the masses, returned to the silver screen with a new commercial that aired during NFL football on Sunday.

In the commercial, Cruise filmed himself jumping out of a plane that soared over a South African movie set to celebrate the box office juggernaut that was Top Gun: Maverick , while promoting his upcoming Mission: Impossible sequel, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One (the seventh installment in the franchise).

In the commercial, Cruise thanked viewers who attended theaters to propel Top Gun: Maverick over the billion-dollar worldwide box office mark as people feared going out to the cinema during COVID and without the help of China's box office, which took offense to the film's pro-American messaging.

RELATED: ‘TOP GUN: MAVERICK’ PROVES AMERICA NEEDED A WIN

While Marvel and Disney movies continue to bend the knee to China, Cruise remains cavalier in his approach to moviemaking and truly leaves it all out on the set.

Whether it's against movie villains or stomping the worldwide box office during the age of COVID, Cruise is devoid of all fear that stands in the way of getting the job done. And he's back at it again.

Maverick was a hell of a win for Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie, who is re-teaming with Cruise for the final two films scheduled in the Impossible franchise.

Simply put, no one does it like Cruise in today's movies.

The unabashed love for a cinematic experience, often at the risk of his own health, further proves that Cruise is likely the last true American action star to grace the big screen.

From climbing the Burj Khalifa; hanging off the side of a plane; flying a real F-14 jet for Top Gun: Maverick ; to now sky-diving for a film promo, Cruise is as fearless as ever.

Best of all, Top Gun: Maverick hits streaming via Paramount+ on Dec. 22. Time to fly high.

Tom Cruise kicks off his Oscar campaign the only way he knows how: leaping from a plane

In a new commercial, the top gun: maverick star shows support for his fans in a classically supercharged manner.

Whether it’s “ Babe Ruth- ing ” movie theaters, developing a star-making musical , or preparing to become the first civilian to walk in space , Tom Cruise’s day-to-day is far from ordinary or low-key. Naturally, that ethos extends to a recent commercial starring the Top Gun: Maverick actor (and effectively kicking off his Oscar campaign.)

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In the clip, which aired during Sunday Night Football on CBS, Cruise thanks fans for supporting the film and going out to the movie theater. The twist? The entire chat happens as Cruise jumps out of a helicopter hovering above the South African set of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning , demonstrating that he’s nothing if not a multitasker.

“I didn’t want the year to end without thanking you all for coming out to the theater, and thank you for supporting Top Gun: Maverick ,” Cruise says while hanging out of the aircraft manned by Dead Reckoning ’s director (and Top Gun: Maverick ’s writer), Christopher McQuarrie. Before Cruise takes his big leap of faith, he asks if McQuarrie plans on joining him in the open air.

“Not on your life— good luck,” McQuarrie responds. An unfazed Cruise then languidly sits back until he tumbles out of the plane.

“Thank you for supporting Top Gun: Maverick ! As always, thank you for allowing us to entertain you. It truly is the honor of a lifetime,” Cruise muses as he careens through the air, seemingly unbothered. “Yeah. Very Lucky.”

Top Gun: Maverick , far and away the blockbuster of the year, will finally be available for streaming on Paramount+ December 22. Paramount even briefly brought back the film (which achieved record numbers during a dismal year for the box office) to theaters for a two-week run last month.

Concluding his video message (as, by his own admission, he “runs out of altitude” ), Cruise again encourages fans back to the movies.

“You have a very safe and happy holiday,” Cruise tells the audience, before spinning off into the distance. “We’ll see you at the movies.”

See inside the Airbus A400M Atlas military cargo plane made famous by Tom Cruise that reportedly cost more than $30 billion to produce

• One of Airbus' latest innovations isn't an airliner but a military troop and cargo transport plane. 
• The Airbus A400M Atlas can carry up to 37 tons of cargo and be used for transport, air-to-air refueling, and paratroop missions. 
• European, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries have been Airbus' top customers for the Atlas.

Airbus sells more than just commercial airliners, it also sells military transport aircraft.

Commercial aircraft manufacturers have long engaged in lucrative endeavors in support of the defense industry, and Airbus is no different. While the public marvels at Airbus' latest passenger jets, the top brass of national militaries marvel at its war-ready troop transport, aerial refueling, and military cargo aircraft.

Airbus launched the A400M Atlas program in 2003 with the goal of supplying countries of the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation. The first A400M was delivered to France in 2013 after 10 years of development and a four-year delay.

Source: Airbus and Financial Times

Now, numerous countries have placed 176 orders for the aircraft. Nations that have orders with Airbus include Malaysia, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and the UK.

Source: Airbus

The A400M is powered by turboprop engines and takes aim at the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. One of the most iconic planes in US military history, the C-130 has been in every US war since the Vietnam War.

Tom Cruise also famously latched onto the side of an Airbus A400 in the movie "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation," in the aircraft's first appearance in a Hollywood blockbuster.

The UK Royal Air Force brought one of its Airbus A400Ms to the Dubai Airshow in November. Here's what it's like.

A truly European aircraft, assembling the A400M requires three European countries. The A400's wings are built in the UK, its fuselage is built in Germany, and assembly takes place in Spain.

Airbus designed the A400M to be much like, well, an Airbus. The A400M boasts performance capabilities and qualities traditionally found in the commercial airliners that Airbus produces that places it a step ahead of older models like the C-130 Hercules.

Four EuroProp International TP 400 turboprop engines power the A400M and enable a top speed of Mach 0.72 and a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet that can be extended up to 40,000 feet in special circumstances.

Distance is also a key feature of the A400M as its maximum range of 4,800 nautical miles gives the aircraft a truly intercontinental purview. Under the right conditions, flights between London and San Francisco; Paris and Seattle; and New York and Honolulu are possible.

Though, the A400M can have an unlimited range thanks to its aerial refueling capabilities. Other fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters can even be refueled by the A400M.

Put simply, the A400M "can fly further, higher, and faster" than the C-130, Ed Horne, a wing commander with the UK RAF that formerly flew the Hercules and now flies the Atlas, told Insider.

Around 160 passengers can fit in the cargo compartment of the A400M when fitted with extra rows of passengers seats down the center.

Built-in passengers can be found onboard the aircraft alongside its cabin walls.

The seats, however, are quite basic with minimal cushioning, as is standard on military transport aircraft, and far from what can be found on Airbus' airliners.

And while the maximum passenger count is around 160, the RAF flew as many as 203 passengers on one evacuation flight during the Afghanistan refugee airlift in August.

Medical litters can be affixed in the cargo compartment to transport the injured and ill.

As many as 66 stretchers can be loaded onto the aircraft with room for 25 medical support personnel.

Wartime operations may see the A400M conduct everything from military cargo flights to para trooping over enemy territory, tasks for which the aircraft is more than capable.

The A400M’s cargo compartment can hold up to 37 tons, or 74,000 pounds, of cargo across 340 cubic meters of space.

Digital and autonomous systems on the aircraft help expedite the loading and offloading process while also reducing the workload of the loadmaster.

There's room for seven pallets on the main deck and two additional pallets on the ramp. A Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter can even be transported on the aircraft if need be.

Paratroop operations are a critical function of the A400M, especially when training for a wartime scenario.

Paratroopers that are jumping out of the A400M will typically do so via the two side doors at the rear of the aircraft. A static line parachute will typically be used that automatically deploys during the jump.

And one feature of the A400M is that winches are available to retract each static line after the drop is complete.

High-altitude paratroop operations, however, are conducted use the rear cargo door as a different type of parachute, known as freefall parachute, that's more conducive to jumping from the rear of the aircraft.

Paratroopers making a high-altitude jump are usually also carrying equipment that can't fit through the side doors.

As of November, however, the UK Royal Air Force was still breaking in the A400M and developing procedures for paratroop operations.

The A400M's cockpit can be found above the cargo compartment, which Airbus says is to maximize the aircraft's available cargo space.

One unique feature about the A400M is that its cockpit actually has the look of a traditional airline cockpit in many ways, as opposed to previous generations of American military aircraft.

Pilots have large high-definition displays to feed them flight data and navigational information, just like on an airliner such as the Airbus A380 or Airbus A350 XWB.

"Everything that is close to you is things that you will use every day," Horne said. "Everything is placed very nicely for the pilots."

Embedded in the heads-up display is an enhanced vision system that lets pilots see through the clouds during periods of reduced visibility.

Airbus’ iconic sidestick is what pilots use to maneuver the A400M with fly-by-wire technology allowing for a smoother flight experience.

And pilots can access navigational charts through their flight displays.

A third seat allows for a third crewmember to assist the two pilots during high-intensity missions, including "package" flights when a group of aircraft fly together.

Pilots also have multiple ways of escaping the cockpit in case of an emergency, including through the cockpit windows or an emergency hatch above the cockpit.

The loadmaster for the flight is tasked with ensuring the safety and integrity of the cargo and passengers onboard.

Crew rest areas on the aircraft are quite meager but consist of bunks in the cockpit.

Flight crews on long-haul missions can retreat to the bunks to rest if the mission allows.

Lavatories on the aircraft are, however, very similar to those found on airliners.

This A400M had separate lavatories for crew and passengers.

Another unique feature of the A400M is that the nose avionics bay can be accessed through the lavatory.

The aircraft also has a galley area, similar to those found on an airliner.

And the most important part of the A400M's galley, for some pilots, is the coffee maker.

Cost overruns, delivery delays, and capability issues first plagued the A400M during its development and the first few years of operations, as the Financial Times reported.

Source: Financial Times

France received its first A400M four years later and the aircraft program cost Airbus more than 30 billion euros, according to Reuters.

Source: Financial Times and Reuters  

But the end result has been a highly capable aircraft that's slowly but surely proving itself to be a fitting alternative to the C-130.

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WORTH WATCHING

Watch: incredible tom cruise airplane stunt cinemacon promo video.

by Alex Billington September 5, 2022 Source: YouTube

"As you can see, we are filming the latest installment of Mission Impossible." Hell yes, Tom Cruise!! This is awesome. During the industry event CinemaCon held earlier this year, Tom Cruise sent in a video message since he couldn't be there in person. Why? Because he was filming a big stunt for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two , involving two old bi-planes flying over a valley in South Africa. Though there was also a third plane filming him, as Cruise is standing on the side of one talking through the mic to the audience about making these movies to be shown in cinemas. So cool. This video then lead to the first trailer reveal for Dead Reckoning: Part One - which we featured back in May earlier this year. It's exciting that this video has finally made its way online because holy shit everything about this rules. I was honestly expecting Cruise to jump off with a parachute at the end of his intro, but even without that this is still badass. The first Dead Reckoning is set for release next summer , with Part Two set for 2024. Can't wait to see more footage!!

Here's the CinemaCon 2022 promo for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning , direct from YouTube :

This video was released initially as a Prime Video exclusive as a Special Feature for Top Gun: Maverick.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible film series, and the third in the series directed by McQuarrie, following Rogue Nation and Fallout. Ethan Hunt returns with his regular team for more covert missions around the world to save us all from mayhem and destruction. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is once again directed by American filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie , director of the movies The Way of the Gun , Jack Reacher , plus both Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation & Fallout previously. The screenplay is also written by Christopher McQuarrie. Based on the television series created by Bruce Geller. Produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison, and Jake Myers. Paramount Pictures will debut McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One in theaters worldwide starting on July 14th, 2023 next summer (delayed from this year). Part Two will then arrive in theaters starting in June 2024. Rewatch the first teaser trailer here .

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Tom Cruise Jumps Out of Plane in New ‘Mission: Impossible’ Promo: ‘Thank You for Allowing Us to Entertain You’

By Katie Reul

• Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ Season 2 Gets Trailer, Release Date, Daily Rollout of New Episodes 6 months ago
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Tom Cruise has once again jumped out of a plane — this time to deliver another thank you to fans of “ Top Gun: Maverick ” while hurtling through the troposphere.

“Hey everyone, here we are over stunning South Africa, and we’re filming ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” parts one and two,” Cruise yells to a camera over the blaring ambient sound of an aircraft whirring. “I didn’t want the year to end without thanking you all for coming out to the theaters, and thank you for supporting ‘Top Gun: Maverick.'”

A special message from the set of #MissionImpossible @MissionFilm pic.twitter.com/sfnWWluLyl — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 18, 2022

Popular on Variety

Cruise grins, nonchalantly points a finger gun at McQuarrie before promptly jumping out of the aircraft — alongside a cameraman, presumably. With his full body extended into a starfish position to brace against the air resistance, Cruise brings his attention back to the camera and resumes his speech.

“As always, thank you for allowing us to entertain you. It truly is the honor of a lifetime. I’m running out of altitude, so I’ve got to get back to work. We’ve got to get this shot. You have a very safe and happy holiday. We’ll see you at the movies,” Cruise concludes, before being whisked away in a wind current toward the ocean.

“Top Gun: Maverick” remains the highest grossing film of the year, earning a whopping $718 million at the domestic box office and $1.4 billion worldwide. The film will be available for streaming on Paramount+ as of Dec. 22.

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” will be released in theaters by Paramount Pictures on July 14, 2023. The sequel, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two,” is currently scheduled to be released on June 28, 2024.

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Simple Flying

How tom cruise held onto the side of a flying airbus a400m.

The actor is known for his love of high-octane stunts.

US actor Tom Cruise is known for starring in the action-packed Mission: Impossible film series. These movies often feature a range of daring stunts, with Cruise well known for performing these thrilling sequences himself rather than relying on the use of a body double. One of these saw him hang onto the side of an Airbus A400M in flight, but how was this done? Let's take a look and find out.

What is the Airbus A400M?

It is a scene in the fifth Mission: Impossible film, known as Rogue Nation , that involves an Airbus A400M 'Atlas.' This four-engine military transporter first flew in December 2009, before entering service with the French Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (Air and Space Force) in 2013. According to its website, Airbus has produced 116 A400Ms from 178 orders (including prototypes).

The A400M is a versatile transport aircraft capable of landing on runways comprising all different kinds of surfaces, including gravel and sand. The German Luftwaffe is the largest operator of the A400M, which ranks between two of its fellow transporters, the Lockheed C-130 'Hercules' and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster in terms of size. For more on the aircraft, see our guide to the A400M .

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The Mission Impossible movie scene

In order to get an idea of the task at hand, let's start by taking a look at the finished version of the scene in question. The incredible sight of Cruise hanging off the aircraft surely had many viewers questioning just how such a shot could be filmed without a green screen.

Keeping Cruise safe

Film and aviation are two very similar industries when it comes to their focus on safety. As such, when the two worlds collided to film this scene, there were plenty of procedures in place to keep safety levels high. The film's Director of Photography, Robert Elswit, explained to The Hollywood Reporter that Cruise was securely fastened to the plane while filing the daring stunt. Specifically, he states:

" Tom was in a full-body harness, and he’s cabled and wired to the plane through [its] door. Inside the aircraft was an aluminum truss that was carefully bolted to the plane, which held the wires that went through the door, which held Tom ."

Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying!

You can also see at the end of the clip below that Cruise removes special contact lenses from his eyes after shooting the scene. Additionally, Elswit also noted that " if anything hit him at those speeds it could be really bad. They were very careful about cleaning the runway so there were no rocks ."

A limited window

What made the scene even more impressive was the limited amount of time that the team involved had in which to pull it off. Overall, there were just 48 hours at their disposal to perfect the shot using F-WWMZ, one of five A400M testbeds. According to ATDB.aero, it later bore registration EC-406. Today, ch-aviation.com shows that it remains in the hands of Airbus under the registration A4M006.

During this period, the aircraft took off with Cruise attached eight times before the team got the sequence that they wanted. The filming took place at RAF Wittering, where, at times, the plane was 5,000 feet above the ground. Elswit adds:

" They go up, get altitude, make a complete circuit, and land. I think it’s up in the air for about 6-8 minutes before it lands again. It had to be at least 1,000 ft. up ."

The final task was to digitally remove the harnesses from the shot. This gave the impression that Cruise was holding on to the plane with nothing more than his bare hands. Even with the harness, the daring stunt was one that no doubt even got experienced stuntman Cruise's blood pumping even more than those watching!

Carrying on with Top Gun

Of course, this was not Cruise's first or last move with aircraft feats and stunts. He is perhaps even better known for Top Gun in 1986. This went further with the sequel Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, which really demonstrates his love of aircraft. This sees Cruise fly in several different aircraft, including his own P-51 Mustang aircraft.

This saw Cruise, and other actors, flying in the F-18. For this, they undertook an intensive training program , with flying moving from Cessna 172 aircraft right up to fast jets. This was undoubtedly a success and makes the movie extremely realistic. Speaking to Simple Flying about the program, Kevin LaRosa Jr , he film’s aerial coordinator , explained:

“When I would watch the footage it would literally look like they were flying… In a way they were seasoned pilots from going through this training program. They knew where to look, how to talk. Without that training, I don’t think the footage in the movie would look like it looks today... I think that training was the right thing to do, and we all see it when we watch the movie.”

What do you make of Tom Cruise's A400M antics, or his flying in Top Gun? Do you know of any other similarly thrilling plane-related movie stunts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Sources: Airbus , ATDB.aero , ch-aviation.com , The Hollywood Reporter

AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE

Tom cruise hangs on to a flying airbus (really) in the next mission impossible.

He wore a safety harness, but that’s really him on a real aircraft, 5,000 feet off the real ground.

This is not what we usually mean by “flying standby.”

The recently-unveiled trailer for the summertime action extravaganza Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation builds to a shot of what is presumably the movie’s blue-chip stunt: Star (and producer) Tom Cruise hot-foots his way across the wing of a taxiing Airbus A400M, then grabs hold of the military airlifter and holds on for dear life as it takes off and climbs, the ground beneath him falling away like taillights in a rearview mirror.

As with the prior instances of gravity-defiance in the five-film-deep, 19-year-old franchise—most notably, a stroll up the side of the world’s tallest building in 2011’s Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol —the aircraft-hang is no greenscreen-enabled illusion. It’s a genuine feat of (meticulously planned and rehearsed) derring-do by Cruise, now 52 years old but determined to maintain his much-publicized habit of keeping stunt doubles in the unemployment line. 

In an interview with Yahoo! Movies last week, Cruise and Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie discussed the genesis and execution of the set piece, which was shot at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire, England, last November. Preparation involved the creation of a special frame to mount a camera under the wing of the airlifter and withstand wind resistance, as well as a pair of full-eyeball contact lenses for Cruise so that he could open his eyes while the aircraft was in flight. As the actor told Yahoo! Movies :

The things we were all very concerned about were particles on the runway and bird strikes. We spent days clearing out the nearby grass of any birds, and they brushed the runway as best they could. My stunt coordinator would poke me if he got reports of bird strikes. The pilot had to be on the lookout for anything in the air that could impact me in any way. I also was testing how to keep my eyes open so you have a shot—I can’t have my eyes closed the entire time. The thing that no one else was thinking about, but I was, was the fuel. You have jet fuel coming right out of the back at me because I’m on the wing above the engine. Even when we were taxiing, I was also inhaling the fumes and they were going in my eyes.

Because the script called for Cruise’s character to wear a tailored gray suit, there was no protection from the cold at 5,000 feet. He performed the stunt eight times before he and McQuarrie were satisfied they had enough footage to create a thrilling action sequence.

The movie’s first poster features an image of the airplane-hang in progress. When it was unveiled, I wondered why a military cargo airplane would have a suspiciously-handhold-sized lattice on its side. The piece of equipment Cruise is holding onto, prominently visible in this Daily Mail photo gallery , is a “deployable baffle,” intended to give paratroops an instant to get clear of the massive aircraft when jumping before they’re caught in the Jetstream.  Airbus’ website notes the A400M—a four-engine turboprop design that had its first flight in 2009—can be configured to carry up to 116 paratroops. Dispersing that many soldiers quickly would likely necessitate the use of the cargo ramp as well as the spoiler-protected paratroop doors on either side of the fuselage.

While the stunt represents Cruise’s first flight, or eight flights, on the outside of an aircraft, he’s held a pilot’s license since 1994, according to Forbes contributor Matthew Stibbe. The star’s personal fleet includes a World War II-era P-51 Mustang. No pilot license is required for PC users to download Airbus ’ A400M — The Game .  I’m using a Mac, so I can’t tell you whether or not the game includes a level where you must try to shake off an unusually determined secret agent who’s fixed himself to the side of your airplane.

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Can Tom Cruise fly fighter jets? When he got his pilot’s licence and how much of Top Gun he’s flying for real

Tom cruise is famous for his commitment to realism, and frequently performs his own stunts.

The much anticipated Top Gun: Maverick i s about to hit the big screen, and critics are already raving about the quality of the flight scenes.

Tom Cruise is famous for his commitment to realism, frequently performs his own stunts, and even broke his ankle while filming Mission Impossible in London in 2018.

But does the daredevil do his own flying? Here’s everything you need to know.

What can we expect from the new Top Gun ?

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is back and is still feeling the need for speed. His bosses have him in their line of fire, but he remains the best navy test pilot around and commands respect from his flying colleagues.

There is a seemingly impossible mission to blow up an Iranian uranium enrichment plant and Maverick is dispatched to train up an elite team of graduates for the task.

Expect some breathtaking aerobatic displays which, judging by the critics and not entirely surprisingly, outstrip those of the original.

Geoffrey Macnab, writing in i , said “the aerial photography is every bit as spectacular as you would expect”.

The sequel, he adds, “defies cynicism and confirms Tom Cruise’s status as Hollywood’s ‘mission leader’ when it comes to blockbusters ”.

Deadline Hollywood praised the film saying it “tops the original in every way imaginable” adding it is “an example of Hollywood filmmaking at its zenith”.

The original Top Gun was released on 16 May, 1986 and went on to become one of the most famous films of the 80s.

In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, deeming it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Is the flying real?

Cruise is well known for doing his own stunts, and he has built that reputation through decades of action films such as the Mission Impossible and Jack Reacher movies.

“People had asked for a sequel for decades,” Cruise told the PA News service. “And the thing I said to the studio from the beginning was: ‘If I’m ever going to entertain this, we’re shooting everything practically. I’m in that F/A-18, period.”

The cast of Maverick underwent serious training in how to cope in the air, meaning the footage you see is in fact real, not CGI.

The course was developed by Cruise, lated three months, and included tuition in underwater evacuation, aerial aviation and flight itself.

They were also prepared for the dynamic pressures of G-force.

They started in single-engined planes, moved on to a Czech-designed jet trainer called the Aero L-39 Albatros, and then the F-18 Super Hornet.

Miles Teller, who plays ‘Rooster’ the son of ‘Goose’ from the original film, explained: “We trained for this for a long time, Tom had us in a flight programme for several months before we ever started filming.

“But it was never something you really ever got, like, super comfortable with, at least for me. It was something that every time I went up, it really tested me and I felt like I wanted to puke pretty much every time.”

The team also learned to operate cameras and about cinematography as they were essentially filming themselves up there.

But were they actually in control of the aircraft?

Despite this training the Navy did insist on having trained officers at the controls of the F-18 Super Hornet, which is worth £56m.

Glen Roberts, the chief of the Pentagon’s entertainment media office, said a regulation bars non-military personnel from controlling a Defence Department asset other than small arms in training scenarios.

Instead, the actors rode behind F/A-18 pilots, and external shots are of trained Navy pilots.

Cruise, who has been a licensed pilot since 1994, did fly a P-51 propeller-driven fighter plane and a few helicopters for the movie.

The planes aircraft carriers and military bases are also real locations.

Who else stars in the Top Gun: Maverick ?

The cast includes:

• Tom Cruise as Captain Peter “Maverick” Mitchell, a test pilot
• Miles Teller as Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw
• Jennifer Connelly as Penelope “Penny” Benjamin
• Val Kilmer as Lieutenant Tom “Iceman” Kazansky
• Jon Hamm as Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson
• Ed Harris Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain

It was directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and long-time Cruise collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie.

Top Gun: Maverick is dedicated to the director of the original Top Gun , Tony Scott, who died in 2012.

Lady Gaga has co-written Hold My Hand , the lead song for the sequel’s soundtrack’s.

Those who remember the original Top Gun will recall its big hit song was Berlin’s You Take My Breath Away . It won an Oscar for Best Original Song.

When is Top Gun: Maverick released?

It is set for release in UK cinemas on 27 May.

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Tom Cruise Thanks Fans for Support While Jumping Out of a Plane on ‘Mission Impossible’ Set — Watch

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Few Hollywood figures have had a better 2022 than Tom Cruise .

“Top Gun: Maverick” was as big of a success as you can possibly get, earning rave reviews while dominating the box office for months and proving there is still an audience for Cruise’s brand of high quality blockbuster filmmaking. The film had the kind of staying power that most blockbusters can only dream of. Paramount even re-released the film in theaters for a two-week run earlier this month. The film begins streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday, December 22.

Naturally, Cruise wanted to thank his fans for the success of the film but the daredevil actor doesn’t do anything the conventional way. Football fans were reminded of that during a commercial that aired during CBS’ Sunday NFL coverage. In a video taped from the set of the upcoming “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning” films, Cruise thanked his fans for his remarkable year.

“Hey everyone,” Cruise said from the plane. “Here we are over stunning South Africa, where we’re filming ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ parts one and two. And I didn’t want the year to end without thanking you all for coming out to the theaters and thank you for supporting ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’”

He was promptly interrupted by “Dead Reckoning” director (and “Top Gun: Maverick” screenwriter) Christopher McQuarrie , who playfully told him to keep his remarks brief so they could get the shot of Cruise jumping out of a plane. Cruise happily obliged and jumped into the sky — but he wasn’t done talking.

“Where was I?” he asked while free falling. “Oh yeah. Thank you for supporting ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and thank you for allowing us to entertain you. It truly is the honor of a lifetime.”

As he got closer to the ground, Cruise understandably needed to cut the announcement short, but not before he wished his fans a happy holiday season.

“I’m running out of altitude, so I have to get back to work. We have to get this shot. You have a very safe and happy holiday, we’ll see you at the movies.”

Watch the video below.

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Tom Cruise’s Expensive Airplane Collection

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If You Could, You Would

Tom Cruise is a highly decorated actor with money to spend and an undying dedication to aviation. As a certified pilot, Cruise flies his two planes regularly to sets, for vacation, or for his wife’s groceries.

His Gulfstream IV is one of the finest private jets in the world right now. Manufactured by Gulfstream Aerospace, this $20 Million luxury plane carries up to 19 people. Did we forget to mention that it has a built-in jacuzzi and movie theater installed? 

However, that $20M plane isn’t Cruise’s favorite airplane. That distinction belongs to his own personal P-51 Mustang. This iconic warbird was built in 1946, just after the war, and was situated in a museum before the actor purchased it in 2001. Today, this Merlin-engine-powered warbird has an estimated price of $4 Million.

Nobody can blame Cruise for his expensive taste in vehicles. After all, if we all had the money to own and fly any of these planes, we all would in an instant.

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Tom cruise freefalls out of helicopter in new 'mission: impossible' promo, tom cruise casually freefalls out of chopper ... new 'm:i' holiday promo.

Tom Cruise is capping off a great year with an even better video -- showing the dude dropping like a rock out of a helicopter ... yet another teaser to his latest action flick.

The legendary actor posted the stunning footage Sunday, where we see him sitting on the edge of what looks like a chopper next to director Christopher McQuarrie -- who's helming these next couple of 'Mission: Impossible' movies and has cameo'd in all these wild clips.

A special message from the set of #MissionImpossible @MissionFilm pic.twitter.com/sfnWWluLyl — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 18, 2022 @TomCruise

Tom gives thanks to all the moviegoers who hit theaters this year -- especially as it pertains to his blockbuster smash hit, 'Top Gun: Maverick' -- and says he hopes they do the same for his next two movies, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning' Pt. 1 and 2.

Suddenly, McQuarrie tells him they're running short on time and have to get this shot ... which prompts Tom to bid him farewell and fall backwards, without so much as a flinch.

What happens next is something to behold ... a close-up shot showing TC casually freefalling. He continues to talk to the cam, saying it's the honor of a lifetime to continue to entertain audiences on the big screen. Eventually, he breaks from the camera and falls further.

Ya gotta imagine he's gonna activate his parachute at some point ... but we never see it happen on the screen, leaving us on a literal cliffhanger.

I just really love Tom Cruise okay pic.twitter.com/DTDk5erIsR — Stephen Ford (@StephenSeanFord) September 5, 2022 @StephenSeanFord

Between this and the airplane nosedive he was riding passenger to a while back ... it's hard to say which is the crazier stunt. In any case, it's clear Tom's still doing all his own work.

See you at the movies, TC!

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American Made

The story of Barry Seal, an American pilot who became a drug-runner for the CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the Iran-Contra Affair. The story of Barry Seal, an American pilot who became a drug-runner for the CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the Iran-Contra Affair. The story of Barry Seal, an American pilot who became a drug-runner for the CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the Iran-Contra Affair.

• Gary Spinelli
• Domhnall Gleeson
• Sarah Wright
• 388 User reviews
• 293 Critic reviews
• 65 Metascore
• 3 nominations

• Monty 'Schafer'

• Sheriff Downing

• Judy Downing

• Dana Sibota

• Jorge Ochoa

• James Rangel

• Agent Craig McCall

• Louis Finkle

• Carlos Lehder
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• Trivia Tom Cruise is a qualified pilot. He did all of his own flying scenes during filming.
• Goofs Barry Seal did not quit his job at TWA. In July of 1972 he was fired for taking fraudulent medical leave in order to participate in an explosives smuggling operation.

Barry Seal : I'm the gringo who always delivers.

• Crazy credits At the very end of the credits, tucked among the copyright disclaimers is the sentence, "And yes, we know that's not El Salvador." This is a reference to a joke in the film about mistaking El Salvador for Nicaragua on the map. In fact, the country on the map was neither El Salvador nor Nicaragua, it was Honduras.
• Connections Featured in Half in the Bag: The Mummy (2017)
• Soundtracks A Fifth of Beethoven Written & Performed by Walter Murphy Courtesy of BMG Rights Management

User reviews 388

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• Aug 24, 2017
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• What are the rumours surrounding Barry Seal and how much truth is there in them?
• September 29, 2017 (United States)
• United States
• Ball Ground, Georgia, USA (Mena, Arkansas)
• Cross Creek Pictures
• Imagine Entertainment
• Quadrant Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $50,000,000 (estimated)
• $51,342,000
• $16,776,390
• Oct 1, 2017
• $134,866,593

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 55 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Surround 7.1
• Dolby Atmos

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Is Tom Cruise a real pilot? All about his flying dream

• by Chege Karomo
•  – on May 26, 2022
•  in People

Tom Cruise returns for the second installment of  Top Gun , which promises to be an improvement on the first one. However, before the film’s premiere, Cruise teamed up with television host and actor James Corden to promote the movie. In 2018, Tom took James skydiving; in 2022, Tom strapped him into a plane piloted by the  Mission Impossible  star. 

“I’m gonna go up in a 75-year-old plane with someone who isn’t a pilot? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,”  Corden protested . 

If it were another actor, it’d be difficult to believe that they were a pilot. However, given Tom Cruise’s penchant for performing his own stunts, it’s pretty easy to fathom Cruise having a pilot’s license. 

Tom Cruise has held a pilot’s license since 1994

Tom Cruise qualified as a pilot in 1994, nearly three decades ago. Cruise reportedly owns several planes, including a luxury Gulfstream jet and his beloved P-51 Mustang, a WWII fighter that’ll appear in  Top Gun . 

“The P-51 Mustang you see in the movie is actually my plane, so I got to pilot in those sequences,” Cruise told  Hello magazine . “I also got to be in the jet fighter a lot more this time, which was thrilling. It was something I had been working up to.”

Cruise told the outlet that  Top Gun  allowed him to fulfill two dreams: flying and acting. “All I ever wanted to be was a pilot or an actor, so Top Gun was a huge moment in so many respects, including my passion for aviation,” Cruise said. “I got to actually fly in an F-14 jet which was a dream come true, and play a character I loved in Maverick.”

Tom told the PA News Service that he advocated for realism in the new  Top Gun , translating to as little computer trickery as possible. For Cruise, a man with a decades-old flying license, flying would be easy, but the rest of the cast needed intense training. 

For three months, the actors developed skills crafted by Cruise and learned how to film while inside the aircraft. However, few can match Tom Cruise, as Miles Teller admitted that he never got used to the feeling:

“We trained for this for a long time, Tom had us in a flight programme for several months before we ever started filming. But it was never something you really ever got, like, super comfortable with, at least for me. It was something that every time I went up, it really tested me and I felt like I wanted to puke pretty much every time.”

Cruise didn’t get to fly the F-18 Super Hornet in  Top Gun

Cruise may be an experienced pilot, but the military doesn’t hand the keys to one of their most prized assets to anyone with a flying license. 

The military hasn’t given a reason why it didn’t offer Cruise the F-18 Super Hornet, but we think money has a lot to do with it. The jet costs $70 million, nearly half of the film’s $152 budget. Few insurers would accept to insure potential damage of such an aircraft. 

Furthermore, despite having a pilot’s license, Cruise may not have the requisite skill to fly an F-18 safely – placing one in his hands would put lives at risk. The crew and cast filmed using real F-18 jets driven by trained Navy pilots. 

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