How Mission: Impossible 7's Motorcycle Cliff Jump Was Filmed (2024)

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoningcontinues the franchise's trend of outlandish, unbelievable stunts with a motorcycle cliff jump involving Tom Cruise, but how did the cast and crewfilm the scene? The previous entry,Mission: Impossible - Fallout, hadCruise learning to perform a HALO jump in camera and how to fly a helicopter forits over-the-top stunts. Previous Mission: Impossiblemoviessaw Cruise clinging to the side of a plane as it took off, or running down the side of the world's tallest building, proving his immense dedication to his craft.

Therefore, withMission: Impossible7, fans of the franchisewere left wondering how Cruise anddirector Christopher McQuarrie would top the already amazing stunts performed in the series thus far. With the added caveat of the next twoMission: Impossible films being a two-parter, a first for the franchise, speculation began on not just the stunts and action details but what the story would entail as well. However, the trailer forMission: Impossible7provides some insight into the next big stunt: a motorcycle jump off a sickeningly high cliff.

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As with all of Tom Cruise's productions, his dedication to authentic, in-camera stunts came into play here.He and the rest of the crew had to do an immense amount of preparation for the stunt, performing it six different times in their strive for greatness. Tom Cruise, a regular for dangerous stunts, trained heavily during pre-production to prepare for the jump.His preparation included doing over 13,000 motocross jumps and over 500 skydives. Given Cruise's previous action experiences involving all manner of different vehicles, one would excuse him for under preparing. However, with Cruise doing over 30 helicopter dives each day during pre-production in order to prepare for the base jump section of the fall, it's clear this wasn't the case and he remained as committed as ever. The feat involved Cruise riding the motorcycle off a cliff, before transitioning into a free fall and base jumping with a parachute. In order to achieve this, and make sure it didn't go horribly wrong, the crew ofMission: Impossible 7(meaningfully titledDead Reckoning)digitally tracked each of the practice runs using a GPS attached to Cruise's back. Different variables, such as the wind, were tracked accordingly so the crew could figure out the best way to shoot the jump, and also so they could keep Cruise from any potential harm.

Due to the intense nature, and potential danger, of the stunt, it was filmed during the very first day of principal photography. Cruise outlined some of the ways the stunt could have gone wrong (viaEmpire):

“If the wind was too strong, it would blow me off the ramp... The helicopter [filming the stunt] was a problem, because I didn’t want to be hammering down that ramp at top speed and get hit by a stone. Or if I departed in a weird way, we didn’t know what was going to happen with the bike. I had about six seconds once I departed the ramp to pull the chute and I don’t want to get tangled in the bike. If I do, that’s not going to end well.”

Luckily, thisdangerous Mission: Impossible 7motorcycle stunt went off without a hitch. Cruise's intense preparation and training, as well as the professionalism of the rest of the cast and crew saw that the day went smoothly, capturing the franchise's latest death-defying sequence without any major issues. Tom Cruise put his dangerous motorcycle jumps to the test, driving off the Norweigan mountaintop on which the sequence was filmed, with camera-mounted drones and helicopters catching the fall and base jump all on the first day of shooting.

If Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie have proven anything onMission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Fallout,and nowDead Reckoning, it's that their eye for breathtaking stunts hasn't faltered. Whether this motorcycle jump will be the main stunt of the film, or if the duo has anything else hidden up their sleeves remains to be seen. However, if this one sequence is anything to go by, it proves thatMission: Impossible 7will be another stellar entry in one of cinema's greatest modern action franchises.

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