Tom Cruise does one of his most insane stunts yet in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, raising questions about whether he did it himself. Among the movie trailers revealed during Super Bowl LIX is a new look at The Final Reckoning, which will be released in theaters on May 23, 2025. The film is intended to be the final installment to Cruise’s long-running Mission: Impossible franchise, just two years after ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning hit theaters. As always, the film looks to offer the highest quality action and stunt work available.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s story has been mostly kept under wraps, with the Super Bowl trailer primarily focusing on action sH๏τs. Even the longer-form trailer released months back was rather unspecific about the movie’s contents, which raises questions given that the movie was initially intended to be a direct sequel to 2023’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning. The previous film left audiences with cliffhangers and mysteries that the eighth movie will hopefully resolve, but the only thing that’s guaranteed right now is top-notch action.

Tom Cruise Did Do Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s Plane Stunt Himself

That’s Really Tom Cruise Hanging From The Plane

Tom Cruise recently shared a glimpse on his personal Instagram account of him dangling from a plane, confirming that he did the daredevil stunt himself. Cruise has been an action movie star since the 1980s when his role in Top Gun put him on the map as one of the world’s most popular actors. Despite turning 62 this past July, Tom Cruise maintains his reputation for doing his own stunts, working tirelessly with the intent of delivering movies with the highest quality and most authenticity possible.

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With a high-octane series like Mission: Impossible, it seems like it would be impossible for Cruise to do every stunt, yet the actor has proven time and time again that he’s willing to outdo himself for his movies. Mission: Impossible 8 shows one of the most daring stunts yet, with him literally hanging off a flying plane with his hands. When all is said and done, this will almost certainly be among the greatest Mission: Impossible stunts, which is saying something for a list that includes driving a motorcycle off a mountain and climbing the Burj Khalifa.

What’s Been Revealed About Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s Plane Stunt

Apparently, It’s Not The Movie’s Biggest Stunt

Given the minimum amount we know about Mission: Impossible 8, it’s hard to say what exactly the scene will mean for the narrative. However, Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie shared some insider details about the filmmaking process of the sequence with Empire. McQuarrie describes shooting the sequence as being a highly intensive procedure, and while that’s nothing new for the Mission: Impossible franchise, he stated that there were days when “Tom would go out and do something that topped anything he had ever done before.”

The yellow plane sequence, the red plane sequence (which also sees Cruise hanging from a moving plane), and the underwater submarine scene are among the most advanced stunts ever pulled off in cinema. Still, Christopher McQuarrie has promised moviegoers that there’s a stunt in a movie that is bigger and bolder than anything they’ve done before. They’ve given no hints as to what that could be, but hopefully, they’ll offer a glimpse in a trailer or teaser as it gets closer to May’s release date.

Why Tom Cruise Always Does His Own Stunts

Tom Cruise Believes In An Old-Fashioned Style Of Filmmaking

Tom Cruise has been asked numerous times about why he does his own stunts, as it’s become a staple of his movie star career. In 2022, he revealed an interesting insight that essentially encapsulates his filmmaking philosophy: “No one asked Gene Kelly, ‘Why do you dance? Why do you do your own dancing?'” (via THR). Gene Kelly starred in the classic movie Singin’ in the Rain and was regarded as one of the premiere movie stars of the 20th century. Tom Cruise does his own stunts because he wants to keep the old-fashioned movie star spirit alive.

Tom Cruise has often been called the “last movie star,” as he’s one of the few actors who can still sell out theaters due to his name being on the marquee. Rather than taking the day off and letting a stuntman do the work for him or relying on CGI to portray Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise wants audiences who see his movies to share in the visceral, hands-on experience that he has when he’s doing the stunts. By seeing a real actor doing everything themself, the result is a quality that only Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning can offer.