Whether it is nail-biting helicopter chases in New Zealand or hanging off a skyscraper in Dubai, the high-octane Mission Impossible franchise knows what it’s doing when filming in exotic and challenging locations worldwide.
Tom Cruise is back for his seventh and eighth outing as a super spy and man with no regard for his physical well-being, Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible.
Some stars are willing to take the easy way out, but Tom Cruise isn’t one of them. This A-List actor insists he doesn’t need a stunt double to pull off some over-the-top moves in his film. After he got his pilot’s license for the original Top Gun, he was also the first actor to perform a HALO jump and complete the wire heist scene from the first Mission Impossible.
Although he is known for his action scenes like rock climbing or the mechanical horse incident in The Last Samurai or Rogue Nation, he held his breath for six minutes. He climbed the enormous Burj Khalif in Ghost Protocol. There isn’t too much this star won’t do on film if it means not having to use CGI instead.
After a successful comeback from starring in Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise can’t seem to get enough of the chase. With the recent Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One set to release in July of 2023 and the finale airing in June the following year – it’s no wonder the franchise is doing all they can to make another block-buster action-packed feature film.
Recently Cruise, the producer and American action hero who stars in these death-defying stunts, has been spotted in places like the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United States, Norway, New Zealand and France.
But, some new hotspots have been added to the mix, including South Africa and Westminster Abbey, for the first time in the UK’s history. So without further ado, here are some of the filming destinations for his next great adventure you need to know about:
Making History In The Westminster Abbey, United Kingdom
Besides filming in Buttermere Lake, and Stoney Middleton’s old Darlton Quarry in Derbyshire, one of the new additions to the franchise is located at the Westminster Abbey.
Located in the United Kingdom, Cruise has been given extremely rare permission to film inside the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter for Mission Impossible 8. The fact that this religious landmark said yes speaks volumes to how powerful the company are. The budget may be enormous but, the ambitions set by Tom Cruise are even bigger.
The Blyde River Canyon In Mpumalanga; South Africa
Another new location is the Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Tom Cruise was spotted setting off in a helicopter to go film scenes for Mission: Impossible 8 in the savannah. The 59-year-old actor has been flying himself to scenes in nearby Kruger National Park and has been staying in the town between shoots. The surroundings are truly a sight to behold, as it marks the 3rd largest green canyon in the world.