Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise have become virtually inseparable since first collaborating on Bryan Singer’s forgotten 2008 World War II thriller Valkyrie, with the A-list superstar bringing his close friend and confidant for pretty much every project he’s been involved in since.
Not only did the writer and filmmaker take over the reins for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Fallout, and both parts of Dead Reckoning, but he also helmed Jack Reacher, and performed uncredited rewrites on American Made, while he additionally contributed to either the screenplays or stories for Edge of Tomorrow, The Mummy, and Top Gun: Maverick.
In short; the pair are as thick as thieves, so you can guarantee there’s going to be much celebrating done today in honor of Cruise’s 60th birthday. For the rest of us mere mortals, though, we’re going to have to make do with McQuarrie’s social media tribute, which marks the first look at another utterly insane Dead Reckoning set piece.
That is indeed Tom Cruise hanging from an upside down biplane in midair, but as reports have indicated, the sequence in question will then see the actor continue holding onto the wing as the aircraft nosedives and barrel rolls, because the man is positively bonkers when it comes to performing stunts that even seasoned performers might think twice about tackling.
Tom Cruise is gonna Tom Cruise, then, with the action icon showing no signs of slowing down as he celebrates a huge milestone 60 years to the day he performed his first stunt by escaping the womb Ethan Hunt-style.