Tom Cruise is set to bring his Mission: Impossible flair to the Olympic closing ceremony in Paris.
The 62-year-old actor has planned a spectacular stunt for the August 11 event when Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will pass the Olympic flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, according to TMZ. Cruise personally pitched the idea to the International Olympic Committee.
The plan involves Cruise rappelling from the roof of the Stade de France down to the field, Olympic flag in hand. While there’s speculation about a stunt double being used for this part, nothing is confirmed.
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Next, the broadcast will switch to a prerecorded segment showing Cruise skydiving down to the Hollywood sign. There, he will hand the flag to athletes, including a cyclist, skateboarder, and volleyball player, who will wave it around Los Angeles, the host city for the 2028 Games.
The Hollywood sign scene was filmed in March, says TMZ, but given Cruise’s history of performing daring stunts, it didn’t raise many eyebrows. Similarly, his high-speed antics around Paris earlier this year were attributed to the filming of Mission: Impossible 8.
Representatives for Cruise and the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee have not commented on the ceremony details. With artistic director Thomas Jolly leading the show, the closing ceremony, dubbed “Records,” promises to be as dramatic as a Cruise movie.
The Stade de France will be turned into a massive concert hall, featuring over 100 performers, acrobats, dancers, and circus artists. “It’s a very visual, very choreographic, very acrobatic show with an operatic dimension,” said Jolly. “Together, let’s make this evening a memorable and conscious celebration, honoring the past and embracing the future.”
A source told Deadline to “expect a major Hollywood production.”
Cruise, who helped carry the Olympic torch in LA in 2004, cheered on Team USA during the first week of the Paris Games, attending women’s gymnastics and swimming events.
“It’s awesome,” the Top Gun: Maverick star told Reuters. “Great stories, great athletes. It’s incredible what they have to do, the sense of accomplishment.”
