Tom Cruise Wishes Fans Happy Holidays Mid-Air While Skydiving During Filming of ‘Mission Impossible’

Tom Cruise is sending his holiday greetings from the sky!

On Sunday, the action star shared a clip of himself via Twitter from the set of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning in South Africa to express his gratitude for his fans’ support and wish them happy holidays while showing off his skydiving skills.

“Hey everyone,” Cruise, 60, began the video. “Here we are over stunning South Africa, where we’re filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning parts one and two. And I didn’t want the year to end without thanking you all for coming out to the theaters and thank you for supporting Top Gun: Maverick.”

A special message from the set of #MissionImpossible @MissionFilm pic.twitter.com/sfnWWluLyl

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 18, 2022

Dead Reckoning director who was also the Top Gun: Maverick screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie later interrupted the actor as he playfully reminded him to keep his speech short. “Listen, we really gotta roll, we gotta get the shot,” McQuarrie, 54, said.

“Where was I?” he asked while free-falling. “Oh yeah. Thank you for supporting Top Gun: Maverick, and thank you for allowing us to entertain you. It truly is the honor of a lifetime.”

“I’m running out of altitude, so I have to get back to work. We have to get this shot. You have a very safe and happy holiday, we’ll see you at the movies,” Cruise continued before starting to descend.

Cruise is well known for performing his own dramatic stunts.

In September, footage surfaced of Cruise reportedly filming a stunt for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part 1 on top of a World War II-era biplane as it flew over South Africa’s Blyde River Canyon.

“Hi everyone! Wish I could be there with you — I’m sorry for all the extra noise,” Cruise said in the video, reportedly shown at CinemaCon in April. “As you can see, we are filming the latest installment of Mission: Impossible, and right now we are over gorgeous Blyde Canyon in stunning South Africa.”

In the video, Cruise asserted that “we’re making this film for the big screen for audiences to see in your wonderful theaters,” until director McQuarrie flew into view on a second biplane and warned the actor they have to return to filming due to lowering light levels and low fuel.

“Oh yeah, we gotta roll, huh? Low on fuel, that’s not good. I’m sorry, we’ve got to go,” Cruise announced before McQuarrie yelled “action!” and the two planes sped away, with Cruise still crouching on top of his red biplane.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, the franchise’s seventh installment, is scheduled for release in July 2023.

[via]