Tom Cruise upped the ante for his own increasingly insane stunts on Monday as he posted a message on social media while parachuting of a moving plane from a high altitude. The message was about the digital release of his latest release Top Gun: Maverick, which remains the highest-grossing film of the year. Tom’s newest stunt has fans in awe with many amazed as to how the actor keeps increasing the thrill factor of his crazy stunts each time. (Also read: Tom Cruise performs aerial stunts in leaked video from Mission Impossible 7)
The official account of Top Gun and Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the film, posted the video on social media on Monday morning (Sunday night US time). Tom shared the video on his own Twitter a few hours later, writing, “A special message from the set of #MissionImpossible.” The actor is currently filming Mission Impossible 7 in South Africa.
The video begins with Tom sitting in an aircraft, ready to leap out. The ground and see can be seen in distance. He says, “Hey everyone. Here we are over sunny South Africa. We are filming Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Parts 1 and 2. I didn’t want the year to end without thanking you all for coming out to the theatres. And thank you for supporting Top Gun: Maverick.” At this point, he receives a tap on his shoulder and the camera pans to reveal the other person in the aircraft is Mission Impossible 7 director Christopher McQuarrie.
The director points to his watch to indicate they are short of time and says, “We are running out of room. We have to get the shot.” Tom nods and says, “Yes, we gotta get the shot.” After this, he stands up, fist bumps Christopher, and leaps off the plane smoothly. Even as he is diving to the ground, Tom keeps talking to the camera for some time. “Thank you for supporting Top Gun: Maverick and thank you for allowing us to entertain you. It truly is the honour of my lifetime. I am running out of altitude. So I have to get back to work. I have to get this shot. You have a very safe and happy holidays. We’ll see you at the movies,” he adds before zooming away at great speed.
Reacting to the video, one fan wrote, “It’s insane how he keeps doing this and yet it never gets old.” Another fan responded to Tom’s tweet with, “This was unbelievable. How was this man so calm and composed after jumping off a plane.” Many others praised Tom’s guts and courage to perform the stunt and find time for a message to the fans in the middle of it. With a worldwide gross of almost $1.5 billion, Top Gun Maverick is the highest-grossing film of the year so far and the 11th highest-grossing film ever.
Tom now has two huge films lined up–the seventh and eighth instalments of the hugely popular Mission Impossible franchise. The films will release in 2023 and 2024 and conclude the franchise that has been ongoing for close to three decades now.