Tom Cruise, SpaceX To Shoot A Film On The International Space Station

There have been countless movies that have been set in outer space but not all of them can make a claim to be really based on reality. For that to happen, one will have to actually be in space or at least shoot some scenes there. Considering the logistics, not to mention legal and regulatory requirements, of that stunt, it's no surprise that almost no one has even bothered to do so. Tom Cruise and SpaceX, however, want to change that and they have their eyes on the ISS from the get-go.

Shooting in space or even aboard a space station isn't as simple as taking a few days of lessons to dive deep into the ocean or do death-defying stunts. It would require extensive training and preparations that astronauts go through, a process that could become more commercialized and simplified in the days of space tourism. Those days, however, are still a distant dream so anyone who wants to go to space will most likely have to undergo no small amount of preparation first.

That, apparently, won't stop Tom Cruise. The 57-year-old actor is known for preparing for his own stunts and would probably not miss out on the opportunity to go to space for a film, even if only a few scenes would be filmed there. Very few would probably refuse the opportunity to be the first actor in space.

Unsurprisingly, the only space travel agency that can match Cruise's ambition is Elon Musk's SpaceX. And before you knock Deadline's report, NASA's own Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirms that such a collaboration with Mr. Cruise is happening, albeit without mentioning SpaceX.

SpaceX, of course, still has to make its first manned launch, much less catapult one of the most popular Hollywood actors into space. There has also been no word on which studio would take the legal and financial risk of filming on the International Space Station. Bridenstine explains that popular media can inspire future engineers and scientists but hopefully that same popular media will also represent the science properly rather than sacrificing accuracy for the sake of drama.