Tom Cruise is known for a lot of things in Hollywood, but his commitment to his stuntwork has arguably become one of his defining traits to many of his diehard fans. The guy throws himself into the physicality of his roles, and while he has escaped unscathed from most of his movies, he recently sustained a major leg injury jumping between rooftops for Mission: Impossible 6. Rumors immediately started to swirl about possible production delays when word of the actor's potentially broken foot or ankle leaked online, and now it seems that the sixth installment in the hit spy series will shut down until Cruise recovers. And it could be for quite a long time.
This development doesn't necessarily surprise us, as Tom Cruise took a rough fall during his botched stunt on the set of Mission: Impossible 6. He's the star of the movie, and there's no getting around the fact that he needs to remain in peak physical condition to believably portray Ethan Hunt. No Cruise means no movie, and now we can assume that this nine-week (at an absolute minimum) delay could potentially force Mission: Impossible 6 off of its current July 27, 2018 release; in fact Deadline says it is likely.
Oddly enough, the stunt that injured Tom Cruise looked fairly straightforward -- by the actor's standards, at least. This is a man who has dangled out of a window on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai for Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol, climbed the cliffs of Moab for Mission: Impossible 2, and clung to the side of a cargo plane for Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation. Jumping between rooftops certainly seems like it's within Cruise's wheelhouse, but there's simply no accounting for unforeseen accidents like this. Even with meticulous preparation, things can still go wrong.
Of course, it's not hard to figure out why everyone involved in the production of Mission: Impossible 6 wants to take the steady and cautious approach to this particular situation. Although Tom Cruise sustained a leg injury in his accident, he at least survived the ordeal and will eventually return to work. By contrast, other movie and TV productions haven't been so lucky in recent months. Specifically, The Walking Dead suffered a massive blow earlier this summer when a stuntman was killed while shooting Season 8, and Deadpool 2 only recently shut down because a stuntwoman died in a motorcycle crash a few days ago. Stunt-related accidents have made a few headlines this year, so Paramount and Skydance's decision to get Cruise back on set in his own time makes quite a bit of sense. Plus filming an action heavy movie with a broken limb or limbs would not be the easiest.
As of right now, Mission: Impossible 6 is still locked in for its July 27, 2018 release date, but we will keep you posted if that changes as Tom Cruise progresses in his recovery. For now, check out our movie premiere guide for more info on the rest of 2017's major releases.
