The last three installments in the Mission: Impossible franchise are a trio of the finest big budget blockbusters to have come along in the last ten years, with Brad Bird’s Ghost Protocol being followed by Christopher McQuarrie’s Rogue Nation and Fallout, which all received overwhelmingly enthusiastic reviews and bumper box office.
A quarter of a century after Brian De Palma’s opener and the globetrotting adventures of Ethan Hunt are more popular than ever, with arguably the main selling point of the entire property the latest insane stunt being performed for real by daredevil leading man and producer Tom Cruise. He’s scaled the world’s highest building, strapped himself to a plane during takeoff and learned how to pilot a helicopter before dangling outside of it, but the star teased that Mission: Impossible 7 features his most dangerous feat yet.
Set videos revealed a motorcycle being driven off a cliff before the rider parachuted down to safety, which Cruise obviously performed himself six times in a single day. Not only that, but the actor told the crew he could hold onto the bike for a little longer before pulling the cord on his chute, increasing the risk substantially but also getting a much better shot.
It’s no surprise, then, that a recently-screened behind the scenes clip saw the A-lister describe his latest high octane escapade for Mission: Impossible 7 as “the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted”. In preparation, Cruise performed 500 skydives and 13,000 motorcycle jumps over the course of a year building up to a single stunt, proving once again that he’s one of the most dedicated and committed names in the business.