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SYFY WIRE Mission: Impossible 7

Oops! Tom Cruise apologized to couple after interrupting their hike with 'Mission Impossible' stunt

The seventh chapter in the globe-trotting spy franchise hits the big screen next summer.

By Josh Weiss
Tom Cruise Mission Impossible Rogue Nation

Ethan Hunt isn't just a badass secret agent for the Impossible Mission Force...he's also a gentleman of the highest caliber. While filming a practical stunt for the seventh Mission: Impossible film — Dead Reckoning Part I — in the United Kingdom this month, Tom Cruise purportedly extended his apologies to a couple just trying to enjoy a hike in the Lake District National Park. Sarah and Jason Haygarth live next to the hilly property and have made habit of traversing the area's 214 peaks.

They were embarking on their 134th hill when they noticed helicopters moving about the area. Near the end of the trek, they witnessed Cruise, "strapping himself into a paraglider," Sarah recalled during an interview with Extra. "I could tell it was him straight away… By the time we got there, people were talking about Mission: Impossible was being filmed… but I was expecting a stunt double."

 "He apologized first for the noise," added Jason. "[He said], ‘Sorry, guys, I know we spoiled your walk with the noise.’" Famous for performing his own stunts — no matter how death-defying or headache-inducing for studio actuaries — the actor also complimented their dog before explaining his intentions to jump off the summit in his paraglider (you can watch the stunt here). "I was like, ‘You’re going to do what?'" Jason said. While the couple weren't able to snag a selfie with Cruise, they were allowed to record the stunt. Before jumping, the actor allegedly declared: "See ya! Hopefully this goes well."

"I wanted to push the art-form'" Cruise said at this year's Cannes film festival when asked about why he continues to risk his life for the sake of entertainment. "I thought, 'How can I immerse an audience into a movie with this kind of action? How can I entertain them? What can I do?' If you look you at my movies — whether it's Risky Business, sliding across the floor [or] even Taps with the Marine, figuring out the physicality. My whole life I've wanted to parachute and jump and these are skills that I have developed over time. I'm an aerobatic pilot and fly helicopters and I speed fly and I take dance lessons and singing lessons. With cinema and studying from these guys, I was like, 'I can put a camera here if I'm doing it. I can create for an audience an experience that, I think, is going to be unique for them and immerse them in a world in a very unique way.'"

Christopher McQuarrie returns as writer-director for the next two installments in the long-running blockbuster franchise. To date, he's the only filmmaker to helm more than one entry, which was shepherded along by Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams, and Brad Bird prior to McQuarrie's involvement with Rogue Nation and Fallout.

Cruise's co-stars for Dead Reckoning Part One include returning faces like Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Vanessa Kirby (White Widow), Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn), and Henry Czerny (Eugene Kittridge). Newcomers include: Shea Whigham, Pom Klementieff, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Cary Elwes, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney, Mark Gatiss, Charles Parnell, Greg Tarzan Davis, and Frederick Schmidt.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One arrives on the big screen July 14, 2023. Part Two is slated for a wide release on June 28, 2024.

Looking for more wild action? Jurassic World Dominion is now available to rent or purchase on digital and VOD platforms. The film becomes available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD Aug. 16.