Tom Cruise heads to Abu Dhabi for 'Mission: Impossible 7' shoot
Tom Cruise is back in the UAE for the back-to-back shoot of Mission: Impossible 7 and 8.
The star was spotted glad-handing with Ahmad Al Shaikh, the Managing Director of Dubai Media Incorporated, the official media organisation of the Dubai government.
Last time Cruise was in Dubai, he set the bar rather high.
It involved his vertiginous, rope-less stunt at the top of the Burj Khalifa, which at 2,717 feet, remains the tallest building in the world, in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol from 2011.
Read more: Mission: Impossible 7 moves to military base
They also filmed the skydive sequence for Mission: Impossible - Fallout in Abu Dhabi.
“I was very happy to welcome and host my good friend Tom Cruise in Dubai this afternoon. The global star is on a working visit to the UAE, as he’s shooting one of his future projects in Abu Dhabi,” said Al Shaikh (via Esquire Middle East).
“Our friendship spans for more than 10 years, and I’m honoured that we get to catch up every now and then whenever he is off camera, whether it’s in Dubai or elsewhere.”
Both director Christopher McQuarrie and Simon Pegg – aka Benji Dunn – have dropped posts on social media from Abu Dhabi too.
After having to ditch filming in Venice in February, finding itself at the epicentre of the European outbreak of COVID-19, the movie has continued its trek around the world.
Filming briefly recommenced in Rome, before heading to Leavesden in Surrey, and then landing in Møre og Romsdal, Norway, in August.
Another shoot in Italy in October had to be ditched after crew tested positive, before the action headed to London, upon which it hit headlines.
Cruise was recorded berating staff on the London set, after they were seen by the actor not adhering to the two-metre rule.
Audio of the incident went viral, with fans and commentators split over whether his reaction was heavy-handed, or fair enough, given the circumstances.
“We are the gold standard,” he shouted. “They're back there in hollywood making movies right now because of us!! Because they believe in us and what we're doing!! I'm on the phone with every f***ing studio at night. Insurance companies!! Producers!! And they're looking at us, and using us to make their movies.
Read more: Clooney reacts to Cruise rant
“We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf**kers! I don't ever want to see it again!! Ever!! And if you don't do it, you're fired! If i see you do it again, you're f***ing gone. And anyone on this crew does it, that's it! And you, too. And you, too. And you. If you ever do it again, that's it.”
The movie is currently due out on 19 November, 2021.
Watch: Crew reportedly quit after Cruise rant
