Call it Space Race II or Space Race: The Redux if you’re feeling fancy. Tom Cruise—three-time Oscar nominee, giver-back of Golden Globe awards, and proud on-set ranter-in-chief—is headed to space. In October, the 58-year-old actor and Swingers director Doug Liman are scheduled to travel to the International Space Station to become the first film production to shoot in space… unless Russia can beat them to it.
As The Guardian reports, Cruise’s plan to head into low Earth orbit—a mission backed by both NASA and Elon Musk—was first announced in late May of 2020. By November, Roscosmos (Russia’s space agency) had put out a call for “a real superhero to go to the stars… at the same time as becoming a big international star.”
Russia didn’t care if its chosen candidate had any acting experience. They were more concerned that their leading lady be a Russian citizen between 25 and 40 years old, that she weigh between 110 and 150 pounds, and that she have a “chest girth” of up to 44 inches.
This week, Russia announced that it had found its star in 36-year-old actress Yulia Peresild, who will blast off on October 5, 2021, alongside director Klim Shipenko in a bid to become the first-ever filmmakers to shoot in space.
Cruise and Liman are also scheduled to begin their journey in October, though an official date has not been given. So while it could be a coincidence that Peresild and Shipenko are headed to the ISS during the very first week of October, it’s very likely not a coincidence.
While neither Cruise nor Liman has yet to comment on the competition, something tells us that the Mission: Impossible star’s competitive streak and need for speed may prompt a visit to the stars much sooner than originally announced.
(Via The Guardian)