Mission: Impossible 8 Image Reveals Tom Cruise’s Underwater Stunt With Specially Designed Suit (That's Actually Dangerous To Wear)

A new image has revealed one of the most intense stunts from Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. The franchise, which stars Tom Cruise as superspy Ethan Hunt, has become known for its increasingly high-octane stunt sequences, the majority of which are performed by Cruise himself. The upcoming Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which is the film franchise's eighth installment and was directed and co-written by Christopher McQuarrie, features multiple such sequences, including a moment where Hunt hangs from an upside-down biplane.

Empire has now shared a new behind-the-scenes image of a daring underwater stunt from Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. The scene, which sees Ethan Hunt exploring the Sevastopol submarine’s wreckage, involves him being caught in a potentially deadly current. Tom Cruise’s on-set situation was nearly as dangerous, as he could only wear his scuba suit and mask for ten minutes at a time, otherwise he was at risk of hypoxia. Cruise told Empire that the danger comes from “breathing in my own carbon dioxide.” Read his full quote, as well as Christopher McQuarrie’s comments about filming the stunt, below:

Tom Cruise: I’m breathing in my own carbon dioxide. It builds up in the body and affects the muscles. You have to overcome all of that while you’re doing it, and be present.
Christopher McQuarrie: [It was] so challenging and so terrifying. [It was] really physically punishing [for Tom Cruise.] He’s in a rotating structure filled with debris, and you had to find a way to make that environment look as chaotic and unhinged as humanly possible, but in a way that you could repeat, and that Tom could navigate, and survive.

The behind-the-scenes image highlights this danger, in addition to using a lit mask to prove that it was Cruise himself performing the stunt. See the image below:

A behind the scenes image of Tom Cruise hanging onto a submarine while filming Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning

What This Means For Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Ethan Hunt Is In More Danger Than Ever Before

In spite of the title, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is not necessarily set to be the last installment in the franchise, as both Cruise and McQuarrie have expressed interest in making more Ethan Hunt movies. However, the increased intensity of the Mission: Impossible stunts, both in the franchise's universe and in real life, means that the stakes are higher than ever before. While Cruise lived to tell the tale of this underwater stunt, it is not an absolute guarantee that Hunt will do the same.

The franchise has continued to find ways to top its previous stunts...

Regardless of Hunt's fate, The Final Reckoning seems set to be his most action-packed adventure yet. The franchise has continued to find ways to top its previous stunts, which have included Tom Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa and being strapped to the side of a jet plane. By featuring two major stunt setpieces in the same movie, with the potential of more to come, the upcoming installment seems set to provide a high-octane experience even if the character pulls off the impossible yet again and survives his predicaments.

Our Take On The Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Image

These Costly Stunts Could Sink The Movie

Tom Cruise screaming as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning

One other factor that may make Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningthe last installment in the franchise for the time being is also highlighted by the behind-the-scenes image. Partially thanks to McQuarrie and Cruise's commitment to real-life stuntwork, the movies have huge budgets, considering how much money is required to make Hunt's adventures as real, and as safe, as possible. The previous installment may not have broken even against its $291 million budget, and the new entry reportedly cost $400 million, which could doom it if its high-octane stunts do not draw in a huge crowd.

Source: Empire