Tom Cruise has reportedly convinced Universal Pictures to fund $200 million for the first movie filmed in space. The big-budget movie will need the help of the experts - from NASA to even Elon Musk - to get the project to fruition.
According to Celebrity Insider, the 58-year-old actor persuaded the film company to shell out the money through just a Zoom call. However, it remains to be seen how many parts of the project will be filmed outside earth's orbit - although it is, allegedly, just a portion.
Earlier reports revealed Cruise was having a discussion with NASA about a movie that would be set in the outer space. Rumors had it that the Telsa CEO would also be part of the project.
Musk will, reportedly, be in contract to develop the equipment needed for NASA's "Artemis" program. Their main goal is said to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024.
Deadline first reported that Katie Holmes' former husband, along with Christopher McQuarrie, PJ Van Sandwijk and director, Doug Liman, pitched the movie's setting through a virtual meeting. Successfully, the Top Gun star convinced the studio by saying it was a "great idea" - even though it had no script yet.
However, the $200 million budget is, reportedly, just an estimate for how much it may cost. Although the figure seems a lot today's big-budget films can be this expensive as a result of the cost of computer-generated imagery.
The project comes during the COVID-19 pandemic - which has made it all the more difficult for Universal Pictures to produce original content. The Comcast-owned company allegedly tried hard to release new projects through streaming instead of through theaters.
If the project goes ahead it will be another impressive movie idea from Cruise - who has been making a name for his own stunts despite his age. He already scaled down the famous Burji Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai and hung outside an airplane.
But before Cruise makes more death-defying stunts, according to Syfy, he would reunite with McQuarrie to do Mission: Impossible 7. The seventh installment of the series will be in production in September. So, fans will again see Cruise as Ethan Hunt when the movie is released in 2021.
