Tom Cruise’s long-discussed plan to shoot a feature film in outer space has reportedly been shelved, with a new report claiming the project stalled after the actor declined to seek political intervention from former US President Donald Trump.
According to Page Six, the untitled film that was first announced in 2020 and was set to be directed by Edge of Tomorrow filmmaker Doug Liman required cooperation from NASA and SpaceX to carry out filming beyond Earth. While the agencies were involved in early planning, final approval would have required sign-off from the US federal government, including the president.
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The report states that Cruise was unwilling to personally request Trump’s support for the project, citing political reasons, leading to the film being quietly dropped despite years of development.
Why the space mission failed to lift off?
Page Six reported that former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, who served during Trump’s tenure, had publicly expressed enthusiasm for the project when it was first announced. However, sources cited by the publication claim that the political climate and Cruise’s reluctance to engage directly with Trump became a decisive obstacle.
The shelving of the project follows Cruise’s earlier decision to decline an invitation to a Kennedy Center event honouring Trump, officially citing scheduling conflicts, according to the report.
The space-set film was expected to be the first narrative feature partially shot in orbit, marking a historic milestone in filmmaking. With federal approval no longer forthcoming, the project has now been placed on indefinite hold.
Cruise remains busy with other projects
The reported cancellation comes as Cruise wraps up Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, billed as the final chapter in the long-running franchise. The actor has also recently completed filming a new comedy directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and is said to be in discussions with Paramount Pictures regarding Top Gun 3.
Doug Liman, meanwhile, is currently developing the espionage thriller The Initiative with Universal Pictures.
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While the shelving of the space film ends one of Cruise’s most ambitious cinematic goals, industry observers note that the actor’s slate remains packed with high-profile projects that do not require government involvement.
As Page Six noted, unless there is a shift in the political landscape, the space movie is unlikely to move forward in the near future despite nearly five years of planning behind it.
