Tom Cruise Bags Guinness World Record With Burning Parachute BTS From Mission: Impossible 8(Photo Credit –X)

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Tom Cruise is second to none when it comes to dangerous practical stunts, and this manifests more when it comes to Mission: Impossible movies to uphold the franchise’s name. Each M:I entry has pushed the bar higher, and the eighth and final, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, has us losing count of the spectacular stunts.

Every day, Paramount and Cruise are unveiling new behind-the-scenes footage spotlighting how the Edge of Tomorrow actor pulled off new challenges. Turns out, not all his missions get to take front and center in promotional material, as even a 5-second sequence could have seen Cruise on the verge of a fatal accident thousands of feet up in the air. Major spoilers ahead!

Tom Cruise Jumped From A Burning Parachute 16 Times

During the climax of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise’s Ethan Hunt hangs on the side of an aircraft and jumps from it. However, due to the biplane exploding in close vicinity, his parachute catches fire, all while the Top Gun star is plugging the Poison Pill into the Podkova in midair in order to have the Entity freed so it can be trapped.

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The shot of his falling is quick, especially after the fire burst, but CGI is not Cruise’s way to go. The BTS footage shows the Jack Reacher actor communing with director Christopher McQuarrie, detailing the complicated maneuvering of its execution. “If this is twisted while it’s burning, I’m gonna be spinning and burn,” the former says, explaining the physics. “I have to kick out of the twist and then ignite within 10 seconds.”