Christopher McQuarrie explained how dangerous Tom Cruise’s wing walking stunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning really was. In the film, Cruise spends a significant amount of time hanging from the wing of a biplane, and even executes a jump onto another plane. It’s stunts like this that will likely make the upcoming Mission: Impossible 8, in which Cruise’s Ethan Hunt will continue his fight against the AI program known as the Enтιтy, one of the best action movies of the year.

In an interview with Collider ahead of the release of Mission: Impossible 8, McQuarrie claimed that it was terrifying to watch Cruise do the wing walking stunt while filming the movie. He explained that Cruise would sometimes be on the wing of the plane for over 12 minutes, which would leave him completely exhausted. According to the director, Cruise didn’t even have the strength to pull himself back into the plane after some takes. Read McQuarrie’s full comments below:

The really terrifying part of that is that when Tom climbs out onto the wing of that plane, he’s immediately being hit with wind going 140 miles an hour. You can’t breathe. I’m saying this from experience. I did it as well, and it’s pretty extraordinary. But what would happen is we’d have a timer. Mary Boulding, my ᴀssistant director, would be sitting next to me in the helicopter, and as soon as Tom climbed out on the wing, she would start a timer. It was her job to tell me, counting off every minute that he was on the wing. So imagine you’re hearing in your headphones as you’re watching the sequence, “One minute on the wing, two minutes on the wing.”

We knew at 12 minutes, between the physical exertion and the lack of oxygen, that Tom was starting to lose strength rapidly. There were times when Tom wanted to complete the action, but had gone way past the 12-minute mark, and was so physically exhausted he couldn’t get back into the plane. You can’t land the plane if Tom is on the wing of the plane, and there were times we were up there long enough that there was not enough fuel in the plane. Fuel was running out, and Tom was laying on the wing, and it was like watching a Mission: Impossible movie of, “Is he going to get back into the cockpit in time for them to land the plane?” Those were pretty intense days. That’s a snapsH๏τ.

What Christopher McQuarrie’s Comments About Tom Cruise’s Airplane Stunt Means For Mission: Impossible 8

Cruise’s Airplane Stunt In Mission: Impossible 8 Will Be A Spectacle

For years, Cruise has pushed himself to pull off the craziest stunts imaginable in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Since McQuarrie has directed the four most recent movies in the franchise, he likely wasn’t surprised by the ambition of Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 8 airplane stunt. However, the same can’t be said for professional wing walkers, who are obviously used to spending time on the side of airplanes. After being approached to help with this specific stunt, a group of wing walkers actually told Cruise that Mission: Impossible 8’s airplane stunt was too dangerous.

Instead of listening to them, Cruise went to another group of wing walkers to get their approval. This proves how dedicated the actor is to pulling off wild stunts in his movies, but also illustrates how dangerous the airplane stunt truly is. Based on the original group of wing walkers’ reaction and McQuarrie’s recent comments about the stunt, it is clear that Cruise risked his life while filming Mission: Impossible 8. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that this stunt has been at the center of the movie’s marketing campaign.

Our Take On Christopher McQuarrie’s Comments About Tom Cruise’s Airplane Stunt In Mission: Impossible 8

Cruise Always Impresses With His Mission: Impossible Stunts

Even though reviews for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning have been lower than the last few movies in the franchise, it is clear that the wing walking stunt will be a spectacle. Based on his comments, it is obvious that McQuarrie was terrified while watching Cruise pull off this specific stunt. Cruise’s stunts are often so special to watch because audiences know that he actually did them himself. Therefore, seeing Cruise hang off the side of a biplane in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will definitely be a sight to behold.

Source: Collider