Tom Crusie isn’t a stranger to having elaborate stunts in his movies, but his next movie might top everything else as it looks like he intends to shoot it in space.
According to CNN, the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has confirmed through a spokesperson that Cruise would film a movie on the International Space Station and would stay on the multibillion-dollar laboratory to do so.
The International Space Station is primarily operated by Russia and the United States, although it is actually a partnership between dozens of countries that include Canada and a number of European countries.
In a tweet by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, he said that working with Cruise is intended to inspire “a new generation of engineers and scientists.” This new generation is meant to make the “plans” of NASA a reality. Space X CEO Elon Musk then responded to the tweet by saying that it should be a lot of fun.
If this planned film pushes through, Cruise could be the first actor to actually endure extraterrestrial travel for a movie. That said, this new Cruise film would not be the first film to be shot in space or aboard the International Space Station. In 2002, Cruise narrated an IMAX documentary about the International Space Station. Richard Garriot’s “Apogee of Fear” was a 2012 science fiction film that was also filmed in space.
The Verge looked back at how this upcoming film developed over the years, noting that initial rumors had Cruise working with Elon Musk’s Space X to shoot his space movie. Space X did not confirm it at the time, although it does have plans to launch people into orbit around the Earth with their newly developed Crew Dragon spacecraft. In fact, the Crew Dragon is going to fly NASA astronauts tot he International Space Station later this month. Space X intends to let civilians take trips on the Crew Dragon either at the end of 2021 or early in 2022.
It would be interesting to find out how much Cruise’s new film will cost as NASA had previously revealed how much it would cost civilians to use the facilities of the International Space Station.
According to the agency, it would cost $11,250 per day to use the toilet and life support equipment. It would cost $22,500 per day to have food, air, and other provisions on the International Space Station. Running the International Space Station costs the United States government anywhere from $3 to $4 billion per year.