The surprise act that daredevil Tom Cruise got his Mission: Impossible stunt double to do

Exhausted actor used hand double to turn a single page on set of Mission: Impossible 8

Tom Cruise is famed for doing his own daredevil movie stunts – but I hear he drafted in a double to simply turn the page of a book in his upcoming release.

The Hollywood star has been busy shooting the next instalment of his hugely successful Mission: Impossible franchise. But according to our insider on set, the gruelling days got too much for the 62-year-old, so he drafted in a hand double to flick over just one sheet of paper. The movie source tells us: “Tom is known for doing his own stunts, like hanging off the side of a plane or skydiving. But they had a body double stand in for turning a page. It was to give run-down Tom a break – he’s been working so hard to get the film finished. But I’m not sure how turning a page would have added to that.”

Fans are eagerly awaiting the next chapter in secret agent Ethan Hunt’s story. It was originally set to be released this summer but has been dogged by delays. Earlier this year, we revealed how filming on the eighth instalment had to be put back after a submarine malfunction, which cost the production an eye-watering £23million and set the schedule back weeks.

Reports suggest the action movie – filmed mostly at Longcross Studios in Surrey – will now be released at the Cannes Film Festival in May. However, Tom and studio Paramount reportedly disagree on how to promote it. Paramount is keen to boost the buzz by pitching it as the franchise “finale” but Tom is reportedly reluctant to “say a public goodbye to Ethan Hunt”.

The first Mission: Impossible movie hit our screens in 1996. It was based on a hit TV series from the Sixties. The most recent instalment, Dead Reckoning Part One, came out in 2023. It showed Ethan and his team trying to track down a weapon that could threaten all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. The film had an underwhelming box office performance.

The budget for Mission: Impossible 8 is said to be more that £300million - £80million more than the previous film. A large portion of the budget was reportedly spent on dangerous, fast-paced action sequences, such as a chase in a light aircraft and scenes on a submarine, caused delays in filming, which added to the cost of the production.

The latest instalment will see the return of co-stars Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Vanessa Kirby.

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