Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) confirmed that it will be collaborating with Tom Cruise for its next film, the first narrative film to be shot entirely in space. The agency’s administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted that the film will be shot aboard the International Space Station and added that they required a new generation of engineers and scientists to make the project a reality.
The latest is that The Bourne Identity fame Doug Liman has confirmed that he will be helming the action-adventure space project. The yet-to-be-titled film will be the third association of the actor and director after Edge of Tomorrow/Live Die Repeat (2014) and American Made (2017).
Excited to embark on the ultimate adventure with Tom – and we’ve been on some pretty epic adventures https://t.co/y0UXW8n0G8
— Doug Liman (@DougLiman) May 27, 2020
A report on Deadline read that Doug Liman and Tom Cruise have conceived the project together, with the first draft written by Liman and produced along with Cruise. No production studio is officially on board and the project is still in the drafting stage.
An earlier report suggested that Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX who was recently in the news after he welcomed his newborn son ‘X Æ A-12’, will also be involved in the project. While Elon commented on the tweet, the engineer hasn’t confirmed his presence in the project yet.
Should be a lot of fun!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2020
On Thursday, Elon and NASA were all set for the Demo-2 mission, the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket which was unfortunately scrubbed 17 minutes before launch owing to bad weather conditions. It was going to be the first crewed mission for SpaceX and the first time NASA astronauts have launched from the US in nine years.
The launch will now be attempted on Saturday, May 30 at 3.22 pm Eastern Time, and will be live-streamed by both NASA and SpaceX.
#BREAKING: Today’s #SpaceX crewed launch has been scrubbed due to weather.
The next launch attempt will be on Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 pm ET #LaunchAmerica https://t.co/p3H6pFZJT5
— AccuWeatherAstronomy (@AccuAstronomy) May 27, 2020
Last year, NASA announced that it will allow private or independent astronauts paid access to the International Space Station’s (ISS) facilities. Those who want to make commercial use of NASA’s facilities are required to purchase resources as part of their activities. The use of life support equipment and the toilet costs $11,250 per day, while crew supplies cost $22,500 per day.
Read more about it here.
Today starts a new day in low-Earth orbit as we unlock the @Space_Station’s potential as a platform for companies to engage in commercial profit-making activities and we welcome private astronauts to visit on U.S. vehicles. Get more details: https://t.co/lJnIlxaii7 pic.twitter.com/8sbi1lEzIn
— NASA (@NASA) June 7, 2019
Meanwhile, Doug Liman’s Chaos Walking starring Tom Holland is in the post-production phase while the status on the long-delayed sequel to Edge of Tomorrow/Live Die Repeat titled Live Die Repeat Repeat is unknown.
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Tom Cruise who was last seen in the sixth installment to the Mission Impossible franchise, Fallout, will next feature in Top Gun: Maverick and the seventh and eighth installments of Mission Impossible.
Earlier set for release on June 26, Top Gun: Maverick will now hit screens in December 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The film helmed by Tron: Legacy fame Joseph Kosinski is in the post-production stage.
While only seven installments of the Mission Impossible movie franchise were on the cards, reports have surfaced that there are plans for an eighth movie as well. Director Christopher McQuarrie has reportedly decided to follow the pattern the Avengers Infinity War and End Game adopted, by releasing both movies one after the other—the seventh on November 19, 2021, with the sequel to follow a year later on November 4, 2022.