While Ethan Hunt’s time leading the Mission: Impossible movie series is probably over, I’m never getting over all the behind-the-scenes stories about the franchise. Tom Cruise has a reputation of being fearless in those movies. And Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird just shared one nerve-wracking story about the making of the 2011 fan-favorite.

Brad Bird (who also helmed The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille) had his own panel at San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H on Thursday night. During the sprawling conversation about his career that CinemaBlend was in attendance for, here’s what he recalled about making Ghost Protocol with Tom Cruise:

It’s incredibly nail-biting to watch Tom Cruise accomplish the stunts he’s done on the Mission: Impossible movies alone. But I never thought of how that might feel from a director’s point of view. As Bird communicated, being in proximity with Cruise while shooting Ghost Protocol was not for the faint of heart. Here’s what he had to say about filming the famous Burj Khalifa scene:

If you didn’t know already, Ghost Protocol was actually shot on location in the Burj Khalifa, which is the the tallest building in the world. The structure in Dubai stands 2,717 feet tall. In the scene, Ethan Hunt must scale the Burj Khalifa in order to intercept an exchange of nuclear launch codes happening on the 130th floor.

While the production originally was only going to film a few shots there, nearly the whole sequence was shot at the Burj Khalifa. And it was done for IMAX! But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a stress test for Brad Bird. As he added:

The next time I’m worn over work, I’m going to think about Brad Bird. At least I’m not responsible for Tom Cruise and his stunt antics – I’m just writing about it! If you’re itching to rewatch Ghost Protocol after this story, it’s streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

And, if you’re curious what Brad Bird is up to, he has a new animated film on the 2026 movie release schedule. It’s called Ray Gunn, and it’s a science-fiction noir movie he’s been wanting to make for 30 years. The new Brad Bird film is coming to Netflix on December 18.

Actor Tom Cruise has the reputation of advocating for a certain class of movies where what we see on screen is done for real. So of course he’s been supporting The Odyssey. The actor dropped by NYC’s Lincoln Square on opening weekend to see it himself, and had big praise for Chris Nolan, the cast and crew. But he also had thoughts on the Dune: Part Three sneak peek playing before IMAX screenings, as well.

Tom Cruise rented out a private showing of The Odyssey for himself and his team. He also apparently ended up inviting some of the employees of the AMC to join him. After an employee shared the “magical” experience, one fan had to ask them if Cruise had thoughts on the Dune: Part Three sneak peek. Here’s what reportedly happened:

In the front of IMAX screenings of The Odyssey, movie fans are treated to the prologue to Dune: Part Three, and Tom Cruise was no exception. Cruise was geeking out over the sequence that involves the Fremen getting caught in a visceral battle after feeling the rain for the first time. And apparently he even called one of the movie’s producers to congratulate them on a job well done. How cool.

Check out Cruise posing with four lucky AMC employees who got to experience the Dune 3 preview and The Odyssey with him. Talk about a treat!

Tom Cruise has certainly been vocal about his love of the Dune franchise before. He sent Chalamet “the most wonderfully inspiring email” that even included a Rolodex of experts he might need for additional stunt training. Per Chalamet’s recounting of the email to GQ, Cruise let him know that “nobody” would hold him to the Old Hollywood standard. And it was up to him to do so.

Dune: Part Three is set to round out Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy based on Frank Herbert’s books. It will follow a super unsettling Paul Atreides 17 years after the previous film. After Paul betrayed Zendaya’s Chani in Part Two and rose as the Lisan al-Gaib, it looks like the two become enemies. All the while, Robert Pattinson’s Scytale executes a plot to dethrone Paul.

It’s not only one of the most exciting upcoming book-to-screen adaptations, it could be the biggest box office weekend of the year. The movie shares a release date with Avengers: Doomsday in a movie event already calling itself Dunesday. We definitely expect Tom Cruise to be first in line after these alleged comments about Part Three.

Is Tom Cruise ready to get back in the driver's seat with a sequel to his 1990 classic Days of Thunder? It looks like the movie that has been long-rumored is getting closer to crossing the finish line. Digger might be one of my most anticipated movies on the 2026 movie schedule, but as a child of the '80s and '90s and a fan of racing movies, the idea of seeing Cruise burn up tires around the track again has me just as excited. Here's what we know about Days of Thunder 2.

Jonathan Levine Is In Talks To Direct

There have been rumblings about a Days of Thunder sequel for years. After the massive success of Top Gun: Maverick, it only made sense that Cruise would want to revisit another classic from the same era (in addition to another possible sequel). The original Top Gun and Days of Thunder have a lot of similar DNA. In addition to starring Cruise, both movies were directed by the late Tony Scott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. Bruckheimer is on board to produce this sequel, as he did with Maverick, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.

The outlet is also reporting that Jonathan Levine is in negotiations to direct Days of Thunder 2. Levine's Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story starring David Corenswet is set to be released by Paramount in December (and already looks like a hit). Paramount is the company behind both Days of Thunder and Top Gun (and most of Tom Cruise's movies since the 1980s). Before Mr. Irrelevant, Levine helmed the underrated and funny Long Shot starring Seth Rogan and Charlize Theron in 2019.

Days Of Thunder Became An Instant Classic For A Generation

Though it was quite the juggernaut that Top Gun was in the 1980s, Days of Thunder was a huge hit with teenagers when it dropped the hammer in the summer of 1990. The original stars Cruise as a hot-shot young racer named Cole Trickle who joins a NASCAR team led by veteran pit crew chief Harry Hogge, played by the late Robert Duvall. Nicole Kidman plays a doctor and Trickle's love interest in the movie, and Michael Rooker plays his biggest rival on the track. It's been remarkably enduring ever since.

Speculating about further casting is a little premature, especially given the personal relationship between Cruise and Kidman. Top Gun: Maverick only brought back Val Kilmer from the original, in addition to Cruise, so this might follow suit. Still, it would be fun to see some of the other actors from the original, like Rooker, John C. Reilly, and Cary Elwes.

Given the huge worldwide success of FI: The Movie last year, it seems like a no-brainer to revisit one of the best (if not the best) movies about stock car racing ever. Meanwhile, we still have Digger to look forward to later this year, which is going to be a very different kind of movie, judging by what we know about it.

By all accounts, Tom Cruise’s next big-screen effort is unlike anything else in his 45-year career, and also looks unlike any other 2026 movie releases, standing far apart from his recent years invested in Mission: Impossible’s Ethan Hunt. The actor rarely dons extensive makeup and prosthetics for roles, but fully transformed for the role of oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, with total Les Grossman vibes all over this thing. We don’t have a new trailer yet, but we do have several new videos showing off Digger’s (digitally enhanced) skills with a soccer ball.

We’re definitely waiting to see more from Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new movie after that bonkers first trailer, but I am fully embracing any and all ad campaigns utilizing this character for moments that won’t be in the film. Case in point, Warner Bros. is promoting the World Cup with Digger, giving audiences that much more of this loquacious and endlessly confident personality to soak up before the movie gets here.

Check out the video below, which features both Digger Rockwell and Tom Cruise. How did they do it?!? (Amazement heightened for dramatic effect.)

I can see why this probably seemed like a good 1:1 connection to make. Digger Rockwell is described as being the most powerful man in the world, so it only makes sense that he would be promoting the most popular sport on the planet. (You’re probably not gonna catch ol’ Digger waxing poetically about the next Pillow Fight Championship event.) I guess when you’re one of the richest people of all time, you have that much more time to practice your ball-handling skills.

The video promo below is sans Cruise himself, but offers up quite a bit more fancy footwork with the ball that’s fun to watch, even if it’s abundantly clear that Digger is not actually hitting all those perfect moves himself. My brain can gloss over the somewhat unnatural way the ball balances on his head and feet, because I’m just that invested in this dude’s whole vibe.

Beyond all the excellent shots of that wonky-looking cat, I also like that we get a peek into Digger’s mindset in this one, even if it’s not the most mysterious or hidden.

Which is why the bazillionaire is the only person suited to take a self-appointed global savior role, as he attempts to thwart an all-consuming disaster that he himself was responsible for unleashing. So maybe he’s not the most likeable guy from the onset. But I’m already thinking this character deserves sequels and TV spinoffs. Assuming Tom Cruise wants to keep bringing that WTF look out.

The video below was the first one shared, preceding those above by a couple of days, and it almost seems tame in comparison.

Digger, which already got big props from Cruise’s M:I 3 director J.J. Abrams, is set to hit theaters on October 2. And it’s going to be hard for me to stop hearing the character’s slightly unnerving way of repeating “Olé” the way he does at the end of that second video.

When it comes to movies, I don't think there's a better hype man for them than Tom Cruise. Known as one of Hollywood’s champions of the theatrical experience, he consistently encourages moviegoers to get their butts in front of their local screens. Now, he’s hyping Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster epic on the 2026 movie schedule, The Odyssey.

This film is one of the most anticipated of the year, and Tom Cruise was lucky enough to screen it in Christopher Nolan’s preferred format, IMAX 70mm. An in-demand ticket that broke the internet when it went on sale, due to the limited screens and high interest, getting to see this epic on the largest screen possible and on film likely added to the Mission: Impossible star's viewing experience. So, I totally get why he was all smiles in his Instagram post about the movie:

Tom Cruise could have just posted the photo, which speaks volumes on its own. But he also used words like “wow” and “amazing” to describe his theatrical experience with The Odyssey.

Not just one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Cruise is also a longtime producer, which means he has a deep understanding of everything it takes to pull off something on the scale of The Odyssey. While praising Christopher Nolan for what the film accomplishes to his more than 15 million followers seems obvious, it was nice to see the Top Gun: Maverick star also give a shout-out to Nolan’s producing partner and wife Emma Thomas, the cast, and the crew. Every film takes a village, and a film like The Odyssey takes an entire town to pull off.

Along with getting the word out about The Odyssey and hyping the release of his own upcoming dark comedy Digger, the A Few Good Men actor has a history of going to the theater to both see and shout out movies like this. While Cruise is known as an action star, he also has a proven track record of showing up to support big releases. To prove that, here's a list of titles he’s posted about in recent years:

• Disclosure Day
• The Running Man
• F1
• Sinners
• Twisters
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Not long before he praised The Odyssey, Tom Cruise took to Instagram to gush about Disclosure Day and pen a sweet message to his Minority Report and War of the Worlds director Steven Spielberg, as well as his Edge of Tomorrow co-star Emily Blunt. He both praised their work and showed appreciation for their friendship.

Cruise also attended the London premiere of F1 last year to show his support for his Interview with the Vampire co-star, Brad Pitt, in person.

Overall, the message behind these actions is always the same – if you’ve got a big movie hitting theaters, Tom Cruise will be there to hype it up.

His latest example of that is in honor of The Odyssey, which is based on Homer’s ancient Greek poem. The story tells the tale of Odysseus’ long and dangerous journey home after the Trojan War, and the mythical beings and family drama he faces along the way. When you have a cast the caliber of Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland, among others, and you put it in the hands of a filmmaker like Nolan, movie magic happens. So, I can see why Cruise was so excited about it.

Much like the Top Gun actor, critics have been kind to The Odyssey. So, to see if the film lives up to the hype, you can catch The Odyssey in theaters now.

The 2026 movie schedule marks what might be Tom Cruise’s most ambitious performance yet. Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu are teaming up for Digger – a comedy about the world’s most powerful (and chaotic) businessman who must prevent a global disaster. Cruise really had to go through a physical transformation to play the titular Digger Rockwell, and he’s a sight to behold in the wild trailer. Funny enough, Cruise delightfully dropped an F-bomb when he first saw what had been envisioned for the character’s look.

Earlier this year, Cruise talked about playing Digger and how, in hindsight, the last 40 years of his career had been preparing him for the role. The leading man reiterated that during an event for the trailer launch, which CinemaBlend was fortunate enough to attend. Cruise said he’d “never had something that could challenge me in this way” and that it was uncharted territory for Iñárritu as well. As for the first time, Cruise got a gander at his director’s vision for Rockwell, he made a humorously bold assertion:

Honestly, that's an understandable take. As has been shown, Cruise sports prosthetics, a wig and a faux belly in order to play Rockwell, and he’s more than committing to the bit. That shouldn’t be all that surprising since this is the same actor who effortlessly portrayed the eccentric Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder. Digger definitely has shades of Grossman, especially when it comes to bravado. However, as the Top Gun icon explained, the process of landing on a character varies by project:

That level of cerebral thinking is why Cruise has done such great work over the course of his illustrious career. He understands that there are different strokes for different folks – or characters in this case. And it’s because of that approach that Lestat de Lioncourt differs from Les Grossman, who differs from Frank T.J. Mackey, who differs from Jerry Maguire. All in all, given Cruise’s approach to his latest role, fans should be in for something special.

It would seem that the Rain Man alum’s cast and crew were also taken with his work on set as well. During this year’s CinemaCon, Iñárritu praised his star’s commitment to his craft and emphasized just how big a swing he was taking with this role. Emma D’Arcy – one of Cruise’s co-stars, also praised his work, and they even said they were taking notes on set.

All signs point to Tom Cruise giving a performance that’s a true tour de force, and I’m eager to see it on the biggest screen possible. Per the footage, I’m expecting Cruise – as Rockwell – to chew some scenery and drop his fair share of F-bombs. Be sure to check out Digger when it opens on October 2.

For some time now, Tom Cruise has been teasing his next movie, Digger, a dark comedy directed by Oscar winner Alejandro Iñárritu. Some footage dropped earlier this summer and, based on that, Cruise’s titular character mirrored Tropic Thunder’s Les Grossman. Well, we finally have the first official trailer for the movie, and it’s somehow even more bonkers than I imagined. There are plenty of striking images and funny quotes, but I just can’t get the image of Digger’s cat out of my head.

The trailer quickly establishes the aging Digger Rockwell as an eccentric tycoon, who enjoys a lavish lifestyle. However, he’s quickly thrown for a loop when he learns that one of his drilling projects has started an environmental chain reaction that could spell the end of life on earth. What strikes me about this footage, which can be seen above, is the sheer scale of Iñárritu’s vision. Shots of floods, aircrafts and missile launches abound, and it’s clear that this is going to be the Birdman director’s biggest film to date.

Ironically, some of this material feels like it would be fitting for an installment of Mission: Impossible, which Cruise has since stepped away from. Personally, I’d imagine Cruise and Iñárritu are fully aware of that and may even be looking to lampoon elements of such blockbusters in that regard. Aside from the spectacle, though, there also seem to be plenty of quirky character moments acted out by the film’s capable cast.

The member of the ensemble that I can’t stop looking at, though, is Digger’s cat, who’s seen better days. In fact, it’s established early on that the feline doesn’t have long to live, which upsets his master. To say that this one-eyed furry friend is quite a sight would be an understatement, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being more essential to the narrative than teased.

Aside from the cat, though, what also sticks out to me is something quite obvious – Tom Cruise really seems to be going for it with this performance. He’s chewing up all kinds of scenery here, from trying to feed his pet peanut butter in bed to using his physical endowment to illustrate his drilling work. As Cruise explained at CinemaCon earlier this year, Rockwell was a role 40 years in the making for him, and he even dropped an enthusiastic F-bomb when he saw what the character would look like.

Iñárritu, who also co-wrote the script, praised Cruise’s performance as well, opining that while he’d pulled off plenty of massive stunts on camera, this role may have been his biggest risk. Of course, the Revenant helmer also deserves credit, as this is yet another major swing for him as well. Comedy and spectacle seem to be colliding in a great way, based on this trailer, and it’s also already clear that the director and his co-writers are injecting a bit of social commentary into this environmentally and politically-tinged story.

Of course, we also have to mention the rest of the cast, which includes John Goodman (who was mildly injured amid production) playing the President of the United States. Honestly, I can’t think of a better role for the incomparable Goodman in a romp like this one. Also part of the ensemble are Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Michael Stuhlbarg and Emma D’Arcy, who praised Cruise’s work.

All in all, this first trailer delivers, as it expertly establishes the tone, lays out the premise and highlights its leading man in a big way. I can’t wait to see what Tom Cruise brings to the role of Rockwell and, if this footage is any indication, there’s a chance it could be Cruise’s finest performance of this decade. He’s sure to be a scene-stealer, but I also expect that cat to delight (and somewhat unnerve) audiences as well.

Digger opens in theaters on October 2 as part of the 2026 movie schedule.

In 2018, Glen Powell got a sad call that led to some serious conversations with Tom Cruise about his role in Top Gun: Maverick. Tragically, he got that phone call the week of the Fourth of July, and it made that holiday the “worst.” Ultimately, everything worked out. And Powell’s post about this year’s Independence Day certainly proves that he’s doing fantastic.

Glen Powell Found Out He Lost The Rooster Role Right Before The Fourth Of July

At this point, it’s well-known lore that Glen Powell auditioned for Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick, but lost the role of Goose’s son to Miles Teller. What you might not know is that the Twisters actor found out about this on July 3. Recalling how that ruined his Fourth of July on The Rich Eisen Show, the actor said:

Well, that sucks. While I’m one to rewatch Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick with my Paramount+ subscription to celebrate the holiday, said movies certainly ruined it for Powell eight years ago.

However, it all turned out OK in the end, as he ended up playing Hangman in the beloved sequel. Before that happened, though, he had some important conversations with Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer. It began with a phone call from the Maverick actor, and Powell was told they still wanted him in the movie. The Chad Powers star was still on the fence, though, so he went in for a meeting. Here’s how that conversation went:

That led to Tom Cruise giving Powell some advice that really stuck with him. Recalling the conversation he had with the lead of Top Gun: Maverick, the Anyone But You star explained:

I think we’re all glad he listened too. As we all know, Powell did end up saying yes to Top Gun: Maverick, and his performance as Hangman helped his career go sky-high. Now, he’s spending his Fourth of July partying rather than mourning the loss of a role.

Glen Powell, His Loved Ones And His Girlfriend All Partied Together This Year

While the primary emotion on the Fourth of July in 2018 was sadness for Powell, 2025’s emotion seemed to be fun. The actor took to Instagram to post a photo dump about the day, calling it one “hell of a Fourth.” Take a look:

Well, this looks like an absolute rager, and one hell of a good time. It was pretty star-studded too. In the dump, Powell tagged his girlfriend Michelle Randolph (they went IG official with this post), Chord Overstreet, Jimmy Tatro, Zoey Deutch (they need to have an on-screen Set It Up reunion ASAP), Madelyn Cline, his mother, Cyndy Powell, his sisters, Lauren and Leslie and many more.

All that’s to say, I think Glen Powell had a much better Fourth of July than he did all those years ago.

However, I also bet he’s happy that sad call happened, because it's helped shape his career and life into what it is today. Since Maverick, Powell has turned into quite the leading man, starring in projects like Hit Man, Twisters, Anyone But You and Chad Powers. There’s a lot more on the way too. So, all in all, I’d say life (and the Fourth of July) was very worth celebrating the way he did this year with his loved ones.

Millie Bobby Brown is definitely no stranger to big action sequences, and she has the receipts to prove it! For instance, the teaser trailer for Enola Holmes 3 sees the actress running, jumping across staircases and wielding a shotgun on a moving carriage. With all of these high-intensity action scenes, it's fitting that the Stranger Things icon recently called herself a “female Tom Cruise.” On that note, I also just found out Brown and the Mission: Impossible actor are real-life pals, and their hangouts even involve helicopters.

Tom Cruise became very familiar with helicopters while filming of Mission: Impossible—Fallout. After going through some intense prep work to achieve that insane chopper chase scene in the action flick, he became a licensed pilot. And, per Millie Bobby Brown, the blockbuster star has apparently been trying to extend that love of the craft to her. The British actor recently spoke at the 92nd Street Y for a recording of an upcoming Happy Sad Confused podcast episode and revealed (via People) that she'd “flown his helicopter before:” She also said this about her buddy:

Oh my! Then again, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from the daredevil of an actor. Funny enough, though, I'm not sure Brown wants to take him up further helicopter flights or a theoretical plane excursion:

I can’t say I blame her, as I certainly wouldn’t know what to do behind a helicopter cockpit either. But I give her a lot of credit for taking on that riveting experience.

As for Cruise, he not only used helicopters in movies, but he's also given generous rides to his adoring fans. He once took M: I co-star Hayley Atwell’s grandmother on a helicopter ride to tour London. The War of the Worlds actor also gave a ride to a family in Warwickshire during his filming breaks of M: I 7 & 8. Cruise landed in the family’s backyard after the Coventry Airport closed, and I'm still amazed that such a surreal moment actually happened.

All of that aside, though, I'm just living for the bond between Cruise and Brown. Celebrity friendships can be fun, but they're especially cool when they happen between stars that fans may not have expected to be chums. In this case, I love that stunt work also links these two stars.

Brown deserves her props for consistently doing stunts, even when it makes her want to throw up. She previously expressed how much she’s not a fan of climbing or falling for any of he projects she’s done. At the same time, the Damsel actress says on her Happy Sad Confused episode that she still takes pride in doing her own stunts and hopes to inspire young girls to do the same.

Considering that, I'd love to see Millie Bobby Brown and "dear friend" Tom Cruise perform stunts together in some sort of project. Personally, I think fans would definitely sign up to see the actors who play Ethan Hunt and Eleven team up for an action flick and fly helicopters as part of that. Until that happens, though, you can watch Brown in the 2026 Netflix release of Enola Holmes 3, hitting the streaming schedule on July 1st.

Tom Cruise has spent decades convincing audiences that he will run faster, hang higher, fly harder and generally treat gravity like a studio note he is choosing to ignore. But his next movie, the 2026 calendar release Digger, looks like a very different kind of swing. And now J.J. Abrams has made me even more curious about what he is cooking.

Abrams, who directed Cruise in the third Mission: Impossible film entry, shared his reaction on X after seeing only part of Digger. He was responding to the actor’s own post about the film, which included a career-spanning video celebrating his 46 years in movies before teasing his next big-screen role. Abrams wrote:

That is the kind of quote that immediately makes my ears perk up. Celebrity praise for projects can sometimes seem like polite Hollywood confetti, but this one feels more significant because of who it is coming from. Abrams knows the American Made lead as both a collaborator and a filmmaker. He has seen the Top Gun franchise star up close, and even he seems struck by whatever Digger is doing.

The phrase that really jumps out is “bold and wild next step.” At this stage in his career, that means something. His recent public image has been built around impossible stunts and franchise spectacle. When people think of modern Tom Cruise, they often think of Mission: Impossible, fighter jets, motorcycles, cliffs and that very specific movie-star intensity that suggests he might personally fight the concept of insurance if it got in his way. But at 63 years old, how much longer can he keep putting himself through that kind of stunt danger? Or stunt torture, depending on how you look at it.

Digger does not sound like another straightforward new action movie vehicle for Cruise to get lost running around in. The movie comes from Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Birdman and The Revenant, and early descriptions have framed it as a strange, satirical black comedy. The Jack Reacher performer reportedly plays Digger Rockwell, an over-the-top oil tycoon connected to a global catastrophe who tries to present himself as humanity’s unlikely savior.

That is already a pretty juicy setup, but the early footage has made the role sound even stranger. We recently got a glimpse of Cruise in character, and it's pretty clear we are about to get something loud, physical and possibly unhinged in a way that calls back to his beloved Tropic Thunder role without necessarily repeating it.

Frankly, I want more of that Tom Cruise. The action-star version is still great. I will happily watch him sprint through another airport, desert, alley or burning train until the sun finally taps out. But there is something especially exciting about watching a performer with that much control and precision step into a role that sounds messy on purpose.

Abrams has only had a taste of Digger, but his reaction makes the October 2 release feel much more intriguing. If Cruise really is about to blow our collective mind, I would like to be there when the fuse hits the dynamite.

Tom Cruise has played a variety of roles throughout the course of his career, but his latest is shaping to be one of his most transformative performances to date. His 2026 movie schedule entry is Digger, the newest film from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Details on the film have been kept tightly under wraps, and fans haven’t gotten to see much footage. Now, though, the public has been treated to yet another look at the film, and this latest look at the titular character is giving major Les Grossman energy.

Warner Bros. recently released a retrospective that covers Cruise’s career thus far, and it’s a nostalgia-inducing piece of work. As part of that video, fans received a fresh look at Digger, in which Cruise plays the titular Digger Rockwell, who’s an incredibly powerful man. Check out the video below to see the tease:

Per the few plot details that have been released on Iñárritu’s latest film, which he co-wrote, it centers around Digger as he tries to prevent a disaster from destroying humanity. During his appearance at CinemaCon 2026, Cruise talked about taking on the role, saying it “took 40 years for me to be able to put on the boots of Digger Rockwell and to reveal the many layers of the character.”

Iñárritu also hyped up his leading man during the event and acknowledged that while Cruise has done plenty of stunts in his time, “embodying this character is another kind of fearless.”

It’s hard to disagree with that assertion based on the footage that’s been shown thus far. What really strikes me is the level of physicality Cruise seems to be bringing to the role. So it's fitting that the official poster shows the character in mid-action. Check out the one-sheet Cruise shared:

Footage was also screened at CinemaCon, and the reception was positive, with many noting the transformation Cruise underwent for the role. Emma D’Arcy, one of Cruise’s co-stars, also gushed about his work and called the experience of watching him “unparalleled.” In addition to D’Arcy, the ensemble includes other talented stars, including Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Michael Stuhlbarg and John Goodman. Needless to say, Iñárritu assembled a strong group of performers.

I wasn't sure what Cruise would do next when he was finished with the Mission: Impossible franchise, but I think this is a great first post-M:I production. What I'm hoping is that this marks Cruise's return to more character-centric pieces. Not to say that Ethan Hunt isn't a well-developed character, but I'm hopeful Cruise will get back to his somewhat smaller roots.

Digger opens in theaters on October 2, 2026. It’s far too early to say whether this could end up being one of Tom Cruise’s best movies. However, I’m truly hopeful that this will end up being something special. In the meantime, check out Cruise’s performance as Grossman by streaming Tropic Thunder with a Paramount+ subscription.

Since Rebecca Ferguson has been in three Mission: Impossible movies with Tom Cruise, one could say that the co-stars already go way back. The Swedish actress told a story about the time she realized Cruise being in her contact list really came in handy... you know, besides having Tom Cruise in your contact list to begin with.

Once when Ferguson was on vacation with her husband she found herself dealing with a potential emergency. In her words:

The Maldives is a rather remote spot for a holiday, so when Ferguson came down with something, she was understandably stressed about getting the proper care and called up Tom Cruise. As she continued:

Tom Cruise has become rather famous for riding around in his own helicopter that he pilots himself. One time he flew it over to the home of his co-star Simon Pegg to show him some footage of the Mission: Impossible movie they were working on. And on another occasion he was spotted flying his helicopter to a golf course in between shooting one of the M:I movies to enjoy lunch.

Ferguson was worried her stomach issue at the Maldives was “a big worm”. It doesn’t sound like she actually ended up having Cruise come to the rescue when she told this story to The Independent. Still, the fact that it was a potential option is a pretty great perk to being a friend to Tom Cruise. As she added:

Oof, that’s a rough one. The stomach flu can lead to horrible symptoms like diarrhea, cramps, nausea and vomiting. Are Ferguson and Cruise close enough for him to witness such a nasty sickness? Clearly, it all worked out in the end, but I love that Tom Cruise was the one to call in that moment.

Rebecca Ferguson has been honest before about getting “so many questions” about working with Tom Cruise ever since she became part of the Mission: Impossible family. I mean it's definitely a big deal, and the Dune actress has high praise for working with the action star.

She has said he “expects the best of everyone” and delivers as such even being the big movie star that he is. Ferguson said goodbye to the franchise one movie short of the end in 2023’s Dead Reckoning when her character of Ilsa unfortunately died. While she appreciated her experience on the franchise, she was also happy to say goodbye to the long amounts of "waiting" and being in a trailer on those movies.

You can see Ferguson next in Season 3 of Silo, debuting on Apple TV on July 3 along with Dune: Part Three, which hits theaters on December 18.

Tom Cruise has spent enough time flying jets, sprinting across rooftops and saving the movie theater experience one death-defying stunt at a time that his endorsement of a 2026 movie calendar release carries some extra weight. So when he shows up for a packed summer screening and posts about loving the experience, it feels like the cinematic equivalent of a flare going up. Seriously, the Mission: Impossible star just hyped up Disclosure Day with the sweetest message to Steven Spielberg and his ‘dear friend’ Emily Blunt.

Cruise shared an Instagram post celebrating Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg’s big new summer science fiction movie starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo. The post included a photo of him with Dakota Fanning, Colin Farrell and a Spielberg bust in front of a theater screen promoting the film. There’s a lot of greatness packed into this photo, so see for yourself before we break it down.

The caption is obviously the biggest takeaway. The Mummy alum praised Spielberg, his Minority Report and War of the Worlds director, writing:

And, of course, the Top Gun franchise lead couldn’t forget about his Edge of Tomorrow co-star and friend, Emily Blunt. He continued:

That is a very sweet response and is also very Tom Cruise. The man does not casually enjoy a movie. He celebrates cinema with the intensity of someone trying to personally keep every projector bulb in America alive. And honestly, when the movie in question is a new Spielberg alien epic, that enthusiasm tracks.

Tom Cruise And Steven Spielberg Go Way Back

Cruise and Spielberg worked together on Minority Report and War of the Worlds, two very different but great sci-fi movies that still feel like major pieces of both men’s filmographies. Minority Report also co-starred Colin Farrell, who appears to the Jack Reacher actor's right in the Instagram photo, while War of the Worlds starred Dakota Fanning appears to his left. One gave Cruise one of his slickest futuristic thrillers; the other put him in full panic-dad mode inside Spielberg’s post-9/11 alien invasion nightmare.

There is something nicely full-circle about the Minority Report helmer hyping a new Spielberg alien movie. The director has returned to extraterrestrial stories throughout his career, from Close Encounters of the Third Kind to E.T. to War of the Worlds. Disclosure Day seems to be playing in that same massive “what if humanity actually knew?” sandbox, which makes Cruise’s theater-night post feel especially fitting.

His Emily Blunt Shoutout Was Also A Reunion

Cruise also made sure to shout out Emily Blunt, calling her his “dear friend” and saying she and the rest of the artists behind the movie were “superb.” For fans of Edge of Tomorrow, that is a delightful little reunion crumb.

Cruise and Blunt starred together in the 2014 sci-fi action favorite, and their chemistry remains one of the reasons people still keep asking about a sequel. Cruise’s character may have spent most of that movie getting repeatedly wrecked by aliens and time loops, but Blunt’s Rita Vrataski was the steel spine of the whole thing. Seeing him show up for her new sci-fi movie more than a decade later is a genuinely warm little industry moment.

Disclosure Day Is Getting The Big Movie Night Treatment

What stands out most about the mega star's post is how much he framed the experience around the theater itself. He did not just say he liked the movie. He called out the packed room, the friends and the summer Spielberg movie-night feeling.

That is basically catnip for anyone who still loves the old-school event-movie ritual. Cruise has made the mission of promoting the theater-going experience a huge part of his public persona in recent years, especially as theatrical releases keep fighting for oxygen in a streaming-heavy world. So yes, his Disclosure Day post is a sweet message to Spielberg and Blunt. But it is also another little love letter to going to the movies.

Disclosure Day arrived in theaters today, June 12. Check your local listings for showtimes.

Top Gun 3 has been circling the runway for a while now, which is both exciting and mildly torturous. After Top Gun: Maverick became one of those rare legacy sequels that actually lived up to decades of expectations, fans have been waiting to know whether Tom Cruise, Jerry Bruckheimer and the rest of the crew could really find a way back into the danger zone. Thankfully, one of the Top Gun stars has just offered a thrilling update about the threequel, and the movie has never felt so real.

During a red-carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight for his new show Not Suitable for Work (which started streaming on June 2 for everyone with a Hulu plan or Disney+ subscription) Jay Ellis gave fans a promising update. The actor, who played Payback in Top Gun: Maverick, was asked about a possible return for Top Gun 3. And his answer made the sequel feel less like wishful thinking and more like something actually taking shape. Ellis said the project is moving, even if nobody is trying to rush it:

That is the kind of update that makes my little movie-loving radar start pinging. A script exists. Paramount is excited. Cruise is excited. Bruckheimer is excited. That is not the same thing as Top Gun 3 getting a release date, so don’t expect it on the 2026 movie calendar, but it does sound like more than someone casually doodling fighter jets in the margins of a notebook.

Part of what made Top Gun: Maverick work so well was the new class of pilots. The stellar sequel cast included rising names like Oscar nominee Monica Barbaro, Twisters star Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, and more, and the actors have talked before about how intense the experience was. Considering what the Top Gun: Maverick cast had to do for the flying scenes, it makes sense that the group stayed bonded.

The Running Point alum has also shared sweet memories from that set, including a story about Tom Cruise hopping onto a FaceTime call with his dad while they were filming. His dad, who served in the Air Force, was apparently shocked to find himself suddenly talking to the Risky Business star. Honestly, same. If Cruise popped into my FaceTime, I’d probably just stare into the camera.

Per Ellis, filming Maverick hit differently coming from a military family. The sights and sounds of Naval Air Station North Island brought him back to growing up with his Air Force father, which adds another layer to why returning for a third movie would feel meaningful.

Ellis also made it clear that the people behind Top Gun 3 understand the assignment. He praised the creative team behind the franchise, because let's face it, it is a pretty stacked group. Cruise, Bruckheimer, Christopher McQuarrie and Joseph Kosinski did not make Maverick feel huge by accident. The movie worked because it respected spectacle, danger and emotion.

It also sounds like everyone involved has their hearts in the right place. Cruise does not seem interested in making another sequel just because the last one printed money. He wants a reason to fly again, and considering the wild first day Jon Hamm had meeting Tom Cruise on the Maverick set and Cruise’s history of surprising fans at Mission: Impossible screenings, the man still clearly cares about the audience experience.

So, yes, baby steps are enough for now. There is a script, the major players are excited, and the man behind Payback sounds ready to reunite with the Top Gun crew. After Maverick, “good enough” will not fly. Thankfully, nobody involved seems interested in good enough.

Until then, fans can always revisit the original Top Gun and its box-office juggernaut sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, both of which are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.

When Top Gun: Maverick was confirmed, I was a bit skeptical. Putting out a sequel to a classic ‘80s movie over 30 years after the original is always a risk with audiences, but I remember being pleasantly surprised by the Top Gun follow-up. Top Gun: Maverick toed the line between nostalgic fan service and a new engaging plot perfectly, and it makes me genuinely excited for the prospect of a third Top Gun film. However, given that the sequel upped the ante for cinematic value, I was surprised to learn its final mission is actually "pretty realistic" according to a real-life Navy pilot.

I should never have doubted Tom Cruise, who insists on doing his own insane stunts, when it came to making a realistic Top Gun film. The Mummy actor, director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer were committed to making the aviation sequences as real-looking as possible, working with the Navy and the real-life Top Gun school, and putting their actors through three months of grueling flight training. But it’s one thing for a movie to look real, and it's another to actually be realistic, especially when it comes to Top Gun situations. Retired Marine Corp. fighter pilot Dave Berke broke down the final mission sequence for ScreenRant, comparing it to real-life naval practices:

For those who need a refresher, the plot of Top Gun: Maverick revolves around an extremely difficult, high-stakes mission that brings back the best recent Top Gun graduates, and only one pilot has the qualified field experience to teach them: Tom Cruise’s Maverick.

Two things make the mission near impossible–the narrow flying through a canyon far below the hard deck (the legal limit for how low a jet can fly) to avoid radar missiles, and the blind exit out of the valley pulling max Gs, triggering said radar missiles.

Obviously, the latter is a crazy dangerous stunt that probably is pretty rare in real life, but Berke says the run through the canyon is not far-fetched at all:

Of course, not everything in Top Gun: Maverick is 100% realistic. There had to be some added movie magic in order to achieve the cinematic shock value that allowed it to smash the box offices when it came out in 2022. All in all, Berke says they did a great job considering real technicalities when creating their storyline:

On top of a realistic flying sequence, Cruise made sure his actors had real experience in those F-18 fighter jets. Part of “Tom Cruise Boot Camp” and flight training included ride-alongs with real naval pilots as they pulled off the cool stunts seen in the movie. There was definitely some puking involved, and Miles Teller admitted he thought he might die pulling max-Gs, but the real film shots of Cruise and co. flying in the jets really made a difference in the final cut.

Tom Cruise is seriously the only actor I can think of who is buddy-buddy with the U.S. Navy. I can only hope the Jack Reacher actor brings the same strict regimen and realistic standards to the upcoming Top Gun 3.

Emily Blunt's latest 2026 movie schedule release marks a huge moment in her career, as she's starring in Steven Spielberg's latest alien film, Disclosure Day. Of course, this definitely isn't her first foray into the genre, as she made an impression on it more than a decade ago when she starred in one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, Edge of Tomorrow. And she recently recalled one very funny moment from the set of the movie where she really bonded with Tom Cruise while in those massive ExoSuits.

When Blunt was a guest on Hot Ones recently, host Sean Evans asked the actress about the most Tom Cruise thing she watched her co-star do on the set of Edge of Tomorrow. She began her story, saying:

Tom Cruise is very much known for his infectious passion for making movies and the crazy stunts he gets himself into. Despite that optimism, though, this particular on-set situation sounds downright unbearable. Blunt shared some more details that painted a vivid picture of her discomfort:

This sounds so, so painful. At the time, Emily Blunt was 31, and she hadn’t yet had the two daughters she shares with husband John Krasinski. While hanging out with Cruise in these uncomfy positions, it led to the “most Tom Cruise” moment one could even imagine. In her words:

Cruise is famous for having a tireless work ethic and not moving to complaining on set. While in her 80 pound suit, Emily Blunt had to admit she was struggling a bit in that moment. I love the fact that Cruise didn't crack even in that moment but couldn’t argue against the situation being “a challenge.” It's such an on-brand response from Cruise, and it now makes for a great story.

EoT is based on a Japanese novel called All You Need Is Kill, and it's a military movie set in future that centers on an alien race occupying Earth. When Cruise’s character starts to find himself in a time loop, he tries to find a way to use it as an advantage to defeat the aliens.

It feels like ever since Edge of Tomorrow came out back in 2014, fans have been waiting for a sequel. Even though the ending wraps things up pretty well, Cruise has talked before about pitching a sequel idea he had to the filmmakers; it has yet to come to fruition. Should that happen, I'd hope that it wouldn't be as much of a "challenge" for anyone to don those massive suits.

Edge of Tomorrow is currently available to rent or buy on digital platforms. Also, check out Emily Blunt in her latest sci-fi flick, Disclosure Day, which opens in theaters on June 12.

One of the most intriguing upcoming 2026 movies on the way has to be Tom Cruise's comedic turn for Digger. The comedy from Birdman and The Revenant filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu will feature Cruise as we’ve never seen him before: sporting gray hair, wrinkles and a “firebrand Foghorn Leghorn accent," according to first reactions to footage shown at CinemaCon. One of the movie’s actors just hyped up Cruise’s performance as Digger Rockwell even more.

Emma D’Arcy is best known for playing Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, but they also has a supporting role in Digger alongside Cruise and Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman and Riz Ahmed. When talking about the movie, they had this to say about it:

Cruise has been best known lately for starring in big-budget action movies like Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible films where he’s pulled off some crazy stunts. But, when he was starting out in the 1980s and 1990s, he regularly was critically-acclaimed for his acting chops more than being Hollywood’s daredevil.

D’Arcy’s comments about working with Cruise and Iñárritu implies we are really in for a treat with Digger, especially regarding the lead’s performance. The House of the Dragon actor literally had their notebook out during filming afterall. As Emma D’Arcy also added during an interview with Entertainment Weekly:

In Digger, Cruise plays a fictional oil tycoon who’s apparently a “massive jerk” to anyone he comes in contact with except for his frail old cat. The movie’s writer/director has said the actor’s performance in the role is “another kind of fearless” than we’ve come to expect from the actor, adding that he thinks it might be “his most challenging” yet. You can check out the first look at the movie below:

As we look forward to Digger, one of the movie’s other actors, Jesse Plemons has also commented on the film as well. He called it “one of the strangest, funniest, most tragic scripts I’ve read” – and that’s coming from a guy who was in Bugonia. He also called it “a kind of modern-day Dr. Strangelove thing” while saying it’s “something else entirely” in the same sentence.

This is definitely enough to get me excited for Digger after the mysterious marketing thus far. Digger is coming to theaters on October 2. If you follow House of the Dragon, catch Emma D’Arcy in Season 3 starting on June 21 via HBO Max subscription.

I grew up watching Top Gun on a loop, and when Top Gun: Maverick came out, it became a frequent rewatch. However, I had never watched the films back-to-back. That all changed, though, when the Top Gun movies returned to theaters alongside the releases on the 2026 movie schedule. And it was during this experience that I finally picked up on two very obvious parallels – one involving Iceman and Rooster, while the other involves Maverick and Hangman – that I can’t believe I missed.

I Can’t Believe I Never Noticed How Similar Iceman And Rooster Are

Re-watching Top Gun (which you can do with a Paramount+ subscription), I came to the realization that Iceman is actually very pragmatic, realistic and reasonable. The entire movie, he’s just trying to tell Maverick that his way of flying is reckless and could get someone killed.

Now, while Goose’s death was not Maverick’s fault, it certainly was a wake-up call. It also emphasized the point Iceman was making about what could go wrong in the plane. Up to this rewatch, I had always seen Val Kilmer’s character as an antagonist, when really, he was just trying to point out Maverick’s biggest flaw.

Then, in Top Gun: Maverick, it’s Rooster who does just that. He’s the safest flyer of the aviators brought back to Top Gun for this special mission, and he spends most of the movie playing it safe. Also, like Ice, Miles Teller’s character is unafraid to call out Maverick.

In a lot of ways, Miles Teller’s character serves as Tom Cruise’s foil in Maverick, which is what Iceman is in the first movie. However, the dynamic is even more complex in the beloved Top Gun sequel, because Rooster is also Goose’s son. So, he has qualities of both Mav’s biggest rival and his best friend, making their relationship very complicated.

However, circling back to Rooster and Iceman, this parallel is so meaningful and obvious that I’m kicking myself for letting it fly over my head.

I Also Realized Maverick And Hangman Are A Lot Alike

Watching Top Gun: Maverick right after Top Gun, I also realized Glen Powell’s Hangman was acting a whole lot like a young Maverick. He’s cocky, a bit reckless and very driven to do whatever he can. I do think he’s more egotistical than Maverick, thanks to his team leader comments. However, generally speaking, his way of flying parallels his teacher’s in a wild way.

That’s because Hangman’s relationship with Rooster is framed a lot like Iceman and Maverick’s in the first movie. I had always thought that Hangman was Iceman and Rooster was Maverick, simply because Hangman is more of an antagonist, while Rooster is a protagonist. However, that was because I didn’t see the deeper parallels.

In the end, Rooster is more like the pragmatic and calculated Iceman, while Hangman is spontaneous and confident like Maverick. I’m happy I realized this, too, because it makes the movies even better. I just wish I had realized it earlier.

There have been a lot of opinions on Tom Cruise doing his own stunts. Many have praised the actor for his dedication to performing such major feats, while others have questioned whether he should be the one doing them. Regardless of how some might feel, it's hard to deny Cruise knows how to accomplish them and remain in one piece when he's done. Apparently, even amid stunts going wrong, Cruise can look at them through a humorous lens. For instance, he shared an on-brand response before crashing into a wall while filming Days of Thunder back in the day.

Days of Thunder remains a great auto-racing movie, and that's in great part due to director Tony Scott's reliance on practicality. By taking on the role of star racer Cole Trickle, Cruise apparently wanted to immerse himself in the world of racing, and did so in a big way. Cruise's co-star in the racing flick, Cary Elwes, recently shared with ET how before Cruise crashed into a wall, the risk-taking leading man shared the perfect two-word take:

Something I appreciate is a person who can find humor in a terrifying situation, and that totally tracks for Cruise. Of course, I'm just glad this story doesn't end with any major injuries for the actor. This story just furthers the notion that Cruise can be just as self-deprecating as he can be fearless.

Of course, even though Tom Cruise is a total pro at performing stunts, it doesn’t mean he never gets hurt as a result. When he did "ferocious” boxing stuntwork for Far and Away, he got hit in the ribs a lot due to all of those jabs and was in a lot of pain for a week and a half. Of course, production on the Mission: Impossible movies also resulted in Cruise injuring himself over the years. For instance, when making the movie, Cruise broke his foot while filming the free-climbing opening sequence and kept on going for that scene to be perfect.

Of course, Cruise also broke his ankle on Mission: Impossible—Fallout after attempting to jump from rooftop to rooftop. Yet the Hollywood icon still performed his scene as planned and even joked about the incident later, calling the London jump sequence “the easy one.” Clearly, the adrenaline-seeking actor knows how to fight through the pain, and his ability to laugh about it is really something.

Years after crashing into that wall, Tom Cruise may be in a position to play Cole again. It's been known for a while now that a Days of Thunder sequel could happen, and that's an exciting prospect. Of course, if the sequel does move forward, I'd say the crew may need to reinforce a few walls in case a certain Golden Globe winner hits them at full speed. In the meantime, stream the original 1990 film using a Paramount+ subscription.

One of Tom Cruise’s lasting legacies will be his willingness to go all in on big-time stunts, and that started way back with the original Top Gun. It may be the Mission: Impossible series that cemented that legacy, but it was his flight time before Top Gun (which you can watch again with a Paramount+ subscription) that got it all started. The movie, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year (wow, that makes me feel old), was the most talked-about movie of 1986.

Top Gun, which was recently re-released on the 2026 movie schedule for its anniversary, took in the most at the box office that year because America had a need for speed. Cruise was more than happy to chase the adrenaline rush of flying at Mach 2 in state-of-the-art Navy jets. His first flight didn’t go as you might expect, but I’m hardly shocked by his reaction.

Flying With The Blue Angels

While Tom Cruise was producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s first choice to star as Maverick in Top Gun, Cruise was hesitant to commit. You have to think Bruckheimer knew exactly how to get the up-and-coming star on board, because he set up the perfect recruitment plan. He arranged with Cruise to go for a ride with the legendary Blue Angels. Screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr. was with Cruise when he arrived at the airfield and was there when Cruise’s ride was over. He told the The Guardian:

If you’ve followed Cruise’s career over the last 50 years or so, this probably comes as little surprise. I know I wasn’t when I read this. Cruise is an adrenaline junkie, and I mean that with the utmost respect for what he does on screen. While I would probably puke on a Blue Angels flight, too, I wouldn’t do what Cruise did and ask for more.

Bruckheimer Knew Exactly What He Was Doing

In the same article, the Top Gun producer let on that he seemed to know exactly how to get Cruise excited about the movie:

Bruckheimer saw the same reaction Epps did, adding:

In the years since, this kind of action has become Cruise’s calling card. He’s pulled some amazing stunts in the Mission: Impossible series, and the movie-going public has come to expect the actor to do something amazing in all his action movies. 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick once again saw the actor in the cockpit of a Navy plane, and, of course, the whole cast of that movie went through something pretty similar. But even more intense than what Cruise went through on that first flight more than 40 years ago. It’s also no surprise that he wants to do it all again in Top Gun 3.

On May 16, 1986, Top Gun was released in theaters, and then on May 27, 2022, Top Gun: Maverick flew on to the big screen. Now, 40 years after the release of the first film and nearly four years after the sequel, both movies will return to the cinema alongside the projects on the 2026 movie schedule. So, naturally, Tom Cruise is celebrating with some throwback pictures that have me feeling very nostalgic.

Fittingly, Cruise posted photos from Top Gun and Maverick to promote the movies’ returns to theaters. The first slide features the actor in the first flick giving a thumbs up, and that’s followed by the iconic photo of Maverick and Iceman shaking hands, as well as a lovely image of Goose, his wife, Maverick, Charlie and toddler Rooster singing. After that, he posted some epic photos from Maverick, and overall, it created a very exciting post about these beloved movies. Check it out:

Well, this has made me oh, so nostalgic. While I was born years after Top Gun came out, it’s a movie that’s been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve rewatched Top Gun and Maverick more times than I can count (on VCR, DVD and with a Paramount+ subscription). So, this post has me thinking back on all those fond memories.

It’s also a great reminder that we’ll get to see both films in theaters! For me, I’ll 100% be doing a double feature, and seeing Top Gun in IMAX and Maverick in Dolby. And I can’t wait! While I did get to see the sequel in theaters a few years ago, I’ve never seen the 1986 movie on the big screen, and I can’t wait to witness the action that way for the first time.

I’m also really looking forward to the Maverick rewatch. You better believe I want to see those intense flying scenes and the shirtless football scene in all their glory on a massive screen.

To top this whole experience off, you can even get a helmet popcorn bucket. Talk about an A+ moviegoing experience! No wonder Tom Cruise is hyping it up while also reminiscing on Top Gun’s milestone anniversary.

Now, if you are looking to feel the need for speed and you want to see the scenes that go with the images Cruise posted, you can catch Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick in theatres starting today, May 13. The two films will stay on the big screen for a week after that, so make sure you go see them before they fly away.

After that, it’ll be time to put the nostalgia away and look to the future, because Top Gun 3 is happening. While it’s been talked about for years, it was officially confirmed this year at CinemaCon when it was announced that one of Maverick’s co-writers, Ehren Kruger, would be returning to write the script.

So, get excited, folks, because Maverick will fly again. However, for now, you can go back and relive his first two trips to Top Gun by heading to the movie theater to watch Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick.

I don’t know about you, but I always feel the need for speed, and I already booked my tickets for a Top Gun double feature in May. Literally, the second I found out Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick were returning to theaters alongside the projects on the 2026 movie schedule, I was ready to give the theaters my money. Now, I’m ready to give them more after seeing the popcorn bucket that will be sold as these Tom Cruise classics take flight in the theater.

While we’ve been looking to the future and Top Gun 3, which now has a writer attached to it, it’s time for a quick throwback. That’s because, during the week of May 13, you’ll be able to watch both Top Gun movies on the big screen! And to make matters better, you can get the perfect popcorn bucket to go with it, as you can see in AMC’s post about it:

Tuly, I can’t think of a better popcorn bucket to celebrate Top Gun’s 40th anniversary. That red, white and blue striped helmet is synonymous with this franchise and Cruise’s character Maverick. Plus, the shape obviously makes for a great popcorn holder. So, all around, I give this bucket an A+.

It can go on the list of iconic popcorn buckets that includes (but is not limited to) the viral NSFW Dune: Part 2 bucket, the adorable Yoshi bucket that was released with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and the highly sought-after Devil Wears Prada 2 popcorn purse. Oh, and how could I forget the really cool (but complicated) Mission: Impossible bucket that was released with The Final Reckoning? I mean, Tom Cruise does love popcorn, so of course, that movie and the Top Gun films would have great buckets to go with them.

Listen, as Tom Cruise once said on The Patt McAfee Show, “...when I’m going to these movies that I’m watching, I’m eating popcorn.” He might eat the movie snack in a funny way, but his enthusiasm for it is unmatched. So, it’s only fitting that two of his best films’ return to theaters feature a legendary bucket to go with them.

Fans are 100% feeling the need for this popcorn bucket too, as they commented things like:

• #AMC HELLLLLLL YESSSSS, what a badass bucket!!!!!! 🪖 🪣 These things won’t last long 💪 -@Riddlemethiss84
• This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen‼️-@EvilVillainAPE
• I feel the need -@McguirePetrov
• My closest AMC is 35 mins away and I’m still going. -@CampHopeOwner
• Do I have this money for this? NO. Will I buy it if they have it at my theater? YES -@B_HasThoughts

Along with AMC’s helmets (which do not have a price yet), Marcus Theaters is dropping popcorn helmets. However, they took it a step further by giving fans an option to get a Maverick bucket or a Goose bucket. Those each cost $35.99, and I’d imagine AMC’s will fall in that range as well.

Now, to get your hands on one of these buckets and to feel the need for speed once again on the big screen, you can catch both Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick in theaters starting on May 13.

There’s been chatter about a Top Gun 3 for years now. After the smash hit that was Top Gun: Maverick, it’s felt like the right move to make. Well, now it’s officially, finally being made, as Paramount announced that the movie is in the works and has a writer. So, now that I’ve had a full day to sit with that news, I’ve thought of four things I need to see happen in Top Gun 3.

It was announced that Top Gun 3 is in the works during Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation (via Variety), and it was confirmed that Tom Cruise would be back as Maverick, while Jerry Bruckheimer will be back as a producer. Along with that, it was revealed that Ehren Kruger, who co-wrote Top Gun: Maverick with Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, would be returning to write the new movie.

So, with all that in mind, I've been wondering what might happen during Maverick's next adventure, and I've realized there are four things I need to see.

I Need An Update On Rooster, Hangman And The Young Pilots From Top Gun: Maverick

One of the biggest highlights of Top Gun: Maverick was the new class of pilots. I loved seeing Miles Teller and Glen Powell as Rooster and Hangman, and it was remarkable to watch them and their co-stars flourish in these parts that have now become defining pieces of their careers.

So, I’d like to see them back. I need to know where they’re at. Are Rooster and Hangman friends? Did any of the young pilots go on to teach at Top Gun? Could any of them work with Maverick? The opportunities feel endless, and I feel like it’d be a missed opportunity to not show us these characters in Top Gun 3.

Thankfully, Powell has given an update that makes me hopeful he’ll be back as Hangman, and Teller has said he’s down for Top Gun 3 as long as he has enough time to get in shape for it. So, it seems like they still feel the need for speed; we just need to hope they get written into the story.

I Need To See Some Kind Of Groundbreaking Airplane Stunt From Tom Cruise

Now, Maverick’s director, Joseph Kosinski, did tease that Top Gun 3 could tackle an existential crisis for Maverick that is “much bigger than himself.” That’s all fine and dandy, and I’m all for a big personal story. However, I also want stunts, and I want big ones.

I’m talking Mission: Impossible level plane stunts. While I don’t necessarily want to see Cruise and co. climbing around the outside of a plane while it’s in the air, I do want a level of innovation and thrill in Top Gun 3 that’s synonymous with Mission: Impossible. They did it for Maverick, so I’m sure they can come up with some wild, crazy, and heartpounding action sequences for this new movie.

Obviously, We Need Some Kind Of Shirtless Sports Montage

First, it was volleyball, then it was football on the beach, so clearly, Top Gun 3 needs some kind of summery, shirtless sports sequence. There's a precedent to maintain. I know a lot of work went into the football scene, and the cast got in tip-top shape for it, and I have no doubt they could do it again.

Maybe this time, they could be playing beach soccer, or potentially they could move the montage to a basketball court. I don’t really care what sport it is; all I know is I want to see the pilots having some fun in the sun.

At Least One Song Needs To Be Sung (Preferably By Rooster And Maverick)

In Top Gun, Maverick and Goose sang “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” in the bar, and we also got the always iconic “Great Balls of Fire” moment. Then, in Maverick, Rooster sang “Great Balls of Fire” again. However, Tom Cruise’s character did not partake in the singing.

So, in Top Gun 3, I’d love to see Maverick and his best friend’s son singing together. It could be “Great Balls of Fire” again. However, it’d also be fun if they found a new song to jam out to. Ultimately, I simply want this new movie to continue to pay homage to what makes Top Gun, Top Gun.

Now, will any of these things happen? I don’t know. However, I do know that Top Gun 3 is preparing for takeoff now, and I’ll be sitting in the theater the day it flies onto the big screen to see if these dreams come true.

I’ve watched Tom Cruise dive into action movies for the majority of my lifetime. The characters have all been slightly different, but they all pretty much have high-octane stunts and running really fast in common. Only twice during my formative years can I remember seeing the actor on the big screen trying something really different. The first was when he played Frank T.J. Mackey in P.T. Anderson’s Magnolia and frogs rained from the sky. The second was when he popped into Tropic Thunder and demanded dancing and “fat fingers.” (Though people sometimes cite the flop Rock of Ages as another eclectic role, I haven't seen it.) Now, there’s Digger.

What Tom Cruise Said About His First Post M:I Movie Venture

It’s still hard to believe Ethan Hunt is done for good, but after the release of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Cruise was looking to do something different as his followup. He said at CinemaCon 2026 that it literally took him “40 years."

While audiences were treated to a first-look at the movie, Cruise also admitted even he feels “the movie is wild,” and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu said he “was not prepared for” Tom Cruise’s transformation, also noting:

Of course, anyone can say anything they want about an upcoming 2026 movie release that no one has really seen footage from. Putting your money where your mouth is can be another matter entirely. However, first-look audiences seem blown away by Cruise in particular.

Over And Over Again, First Reactions Say He’s Doing Something Different

Journalists are able to sit in a balcony overlooking CinemaCon to witness early footage themselves, and one resounding chorus from the crowd was that this is Cruise doing something completely different. Someone noted his “Foghorn Leghorn accent,” which caught my eye, but literally just look at these responses:

• Variety: ​​ "And this is definitely Cruise as you’ve never seen him before.”
• THR: "In the footage, Cruise is unrecognizable, sporting gray hair, wrinkles and a gut as he struts around his mansion and nurses his sick cat."
• EW: "He looks way more like Garry Marshall than like Ethan Hunt. He also acts like a massive jerk to everybody he interacts with, except his frail old cat. "
• Indiewire: Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell was something else. Cruise in Alejandro Inarritu’s film Digger plays an aging oil tycoon with gray hair, wrinkles, a big paunch belly, a firebrand Foghorn Leghorn accent, and no patience for the cataclysmic environmental event that his project has caused.

I think a lot of people love to watch Tom Cruise do death-defying stunts on the big screen, but he's been at it for so long it's difficult to remember there was a time in his career when the roles he took on were broader. They were a different kind of risk for the actor. While I'd still love to see him in Top Gun 3 (and maybe even an F1 spinoff should that A+fan idea pan out), there's a whole of roles out there I think he can still dominate. Now is the time.

Tom Cruise has been a movie star for decades, but one doesn’t reach that level of success without learning a few things along the way. The star has been able to do a lot, and he’s shared some of the things he’s learned with his other co-stars, including his longtime Mission: Impossible collaborator Ving Rhames.

Speaking with Fox News, Rhames revealed one piece of advice he got from the actor, which he has always tried to follow. It’s an obviously simple one, but certainly not something that everybody does. The advice was…

It’s a slightly more family-friendly way to follow a similar piece of advice that Keanu Reeves recently gave to up-and-coming actors. The John Wick star suggested “don’t be a—-le” as the advice he wanted to see others in Hollywood follow.

They’re two different ways of saying the same thing. While Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves may be movie stars, people who clearly have achieved a level of success that gives them authority over others on a movie set, it seems both make a concerted effort not to act as if they are above the rest of the cast and crew.

Rhames also has his own advice that has served him well through his years in the film industry, which involves putting a proper amount of distance between himself and the world of Hollywood. He said…

A fair number of stars over the last several years are actually not in Hollywood at all, as many celebs, from Mark Wahlberg to Ryan Reynolds to Matthew McConaughey, don’t live in Southern California anymore. While this might seem to move counter to Rhames perspective, the implication from many is that their decision to leave involved making sure they were not of Hollywood in exactly the way the actor describes. So they’re really following the same advice, just in a different way.

Whether or not Ving Rhames will be in a position to get more great advice from Tom Cruise remains to be seen. As far as we know, the Mission: Impossible franchise is officially done. If that is the case, Rhames admits he will miss making the movies with his co-star. Apparently those conversations about the industry will be what the actor misses the most. He continued…

Tom Cruise has plenty of other upcoming movies, and based on the fact that he tries to treat everybody fairly, that certainly means passing on what he’s learned about Hollywood to other co-stars.

While Tom Cruise is known as an action star, he's done a number of projects that has proven he's more than that. That includes comedic performances like Tropic Thunder (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription). He just dropped the first tease for his new comedy Digger, and I am so in.

Mission: Impossible's action scenes have shown how fearless Cruise can be, and fans are eager to see him flex his comedic muscles in Digger, which was recently compared to Dr. Strangelove. He recently dropped an intriguing image about that upcoming satirical black comedy, check it out below:

Well, I'm interested. This photo is striking showing a giant shovel that is stuck in the ground. A person is visible below it, presumably Tom Cruise's title character Digger Rockwell. This tease offers more questions than answers about the mysterious project, which will no doubt result in his generations of fans following along closely to the movie's impending publicity tour.

The image's caption reads "In Digger We Trust", and is accompanied by latitude and longitude coordinates. It's all very cryptic and fascinating, especially since the project will follow as Tom Cruise's character tries to save humanity. No pressure.

Cruise shared this image to his whopping 15.2 followers on Instagram. The comments section is already blowing up, with plenty of fans hyped and curious if it'll end up being one of Tom Cruise's best performances. Some responses read:

• Those coordinates lead to Indio, California in the Coachella Valley. Can someone go see if there’s a giant shovel there? - impatrickt
• BEST PICTURE INCOMING - raidersofthelostpodcast
• GIVE ME THIS MOVIE NOW! - soloscreenings
• 100% going to the desert now - josephineleigh
• GOAT IS BACK - therealsupes

Clearly moviegoers are already invested in Digger, despite (or because of) how little we know about its contents. Tom Cruise is leading an all-star cast, as he'll be joined the likes of John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Emmy D'Arcy, and more. The mysterious dark comedy is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose credits include Award winners like The Revenant and Birdman.

Personally, I'm hyped to see Tom Cruise do another comedy. After helping to save the film industry with Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible movies, it's exciting that he's doing a wholly original project that isn't tied to any preexisting IP. He's proven he's got some comedic chops before, and I'm so eager to see exactly what Iñárritu has in store for the 63 year-old A-lister.

All will be revealed when Digger hits theaters on October 2nd as part of the 2026 movie release list. Of course, Tom Cruise has a bunch of other exciting projects coming down the line, including his SpaceX project. Because why wouldn't he go to space?

I am of an age where just about every Tom Cruise movie I’ve seen in theaters has been an action film. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Mission: Impossible movies and Top Gun: Maverick just as much as the next fan. However, I also adore the other flicks Crusie has made that prove he’s more than an action star. So, yeah, I was yelling “Show me the [movie]!” when I found out one of his best movies from the ‘90s was returning to theaters this month.

That movie is Jerry Maguire, one of the best sports films out there, and I cannot wait to see it on the big screen! Tom Cruise is hyped about it too, as he posted the following message on his Instagram story:

As the projects on the 2026 movie schedule make their big screen debuts, Jerry Maguire will be returning to theaters on April 12, 14, and 15, per Variety. This is in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary, and it means you can see great performances from Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renée Zellweger on a very large screen very soon.

This movie about a sports agent trying to stay in the game is very deserving of a big-screen return, too. In 1996, it was a commercial and critical hit. It found major box office success. Meanwhile, it also picked up four Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor for Cruise, Best Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Cuba Gooding Jr. also took home the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (which makes sense; to this day, I still yell “Show me the money!”)

Along with being a hit at the time, Jerry Maguire has stood the test of time, too. It’s been 30 years, and it's still cited as one of the best movies for Cruise, Gooding and Zellweger as well as its director, Cameron Crowe.

Putting Jerry Maguire in theaters again also gives new generations the chance to see it for the first time (or for the first time on a big screen). As someone who grew up with parents who are massive fans of Tom Cruise, I watched this movie and his other classics, like A Few Good Men, at home. However, I’ve never seen him in a film like those in the cinema before. So, yeah, I can’t wait to finally see Jerry Maguire on the big screen.

Along with this being a great throwback for Cruise, it’s also a fun way to hype up his other work that will be released in theaters soon. Later this year, the actor will star in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest movie, Digger. This project, which has been compared to Dr. Strangelove, is being marketed as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” It will follow the most powerful man as he goes on a quest to “prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.”

Now, while Digger sounds literally nothing like Jerry Maguire, I feel like these two films will show off Cruise’s range as an actor this year. That’s notable because between 2018 and now, the movies he’s released have been: Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning and Top Gun: Maverick. Again, I love action hero Tom Cruise and all these projects. However, I’m stoked that the next two times I go to the theater to see something he’s in, I’ll be watching wildly different projects that show off some of his other skills.

So, you best believe that when the time comes in April, I’ll be headed to the theater to see Tom Cruise back on the big screen as Jerry Maguire.

The first Top Gun was a massive hit that caused people to hope for a sequel for decades. If the studio had any clue that a sequel would be as successful as it was, somebody probably would have made one a lot sooner than they made Top Gun: Maverick. Of course, if that had happened, Jon Hamm probably wouldn’t have been in it, and that would have robbed us of great moments.

In a recent appearance on Happy Sad Confused, Hamm discussed the first time he met Tom Cruise. It’s a moment that would certainly be life-changing for a lot of regular people, but even Jon Hamm admitted to being a bit starstruck by Cruise, who was apparently quite happy to see the Mad Men star. Hamm said…

Cruise was talking to Jon Hamm, and the pair apparently had a conversation with Cruise in full Maverick costume next to a massive American flag. I would think the person having the most bizarre experience here would have been Hamm, who has said he was a massive fan of the first movie and was desperate to be in Maverick, but he thought that making the Top Gun sequel must have been equally crazy for Cruise. The original Top Gun star seemingly hadn’t really thought about it much. Hamm continued…

The way Tom Cruise goes from “pretty wild” to "ready to shoot without taking a breath" certainly shows where the actor’s head was at in that moment. He seemingly wasn’t really thinking much about the fact that he was reprising a role he first played more than three decades before. He was all about the movie he was making in that moment.

It will be interesting to see what sort of conversations these two have if they reunite for Top Gun 3. When asked about the sequel, Hamm said that he thought it was happening. We know that the movie is in development, although its status is unknown at this point. Nobody wants to wait decades to make a third Top Gun movie, and while Tom Cruise still looks great, he certainly doesn’t have 30 more years in him to wait.

We’ve all read the headlines surrounding Tom Cruise and his insatiable thirst for death-defying stunts. If he’s not scaling the tallest building in the world or wing walking on an actual aircraft, is it even a Tom Cruise film? But it turns out he isn't the only one who does insane Mission: Impossible stunts. If you can believe it, actress Hayley Atwell can run with the best of them, including the M:I lead. Quite literally.

In a recent conversation with Interview, Hayley Atwell dished on the secret behind all that iconic Tom Cruise running, and also gave fans a look behind how much running prep she did for M:I 7, in her quest to keep up with Cruise. When asked how many miles she had done the day of the interview, she said:

The Marvel veteran star says many people on social media thought her prep looked a little like a “medieval torture contraption.” Which is hard to argue with, but that’s just scratching the surface of how far she was willing to push her body in the name of looking fight-ready and going toe to toe with the master of stunt work. She continued:

That is a pretty impressive regimen. And though many, including myself, have been hung up on the speed at which Tom Cruise sprints in films, according to his Dead Reckoning costar, that’s not even the impressive part. She says the Top Gun A-lister has studied the running form and how the body moves, and that, according to her, is what makes him so beautiful to watch sprinting across our screens. It's as if he’s running with “every cell in his body” when he takes off.

What is it that the Cocktail actor is running from? If you ask Atwell, she thinks its pretty funny to imagine a particular type of pursuer. She added:

So yes, Tom Cruise is impressive when it comes to running and his stunt work, but he’s far from the only one who has put in the hard work to make an entertaining and successful Mission: Impossible franchise entry. Hayley Atwell could give him, if you’ll forgive the pun, a run for his money.

If you’re looking to revisit some of the best running sequences ever captured for the cinema, both Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning, featuring Atwell, are available for streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

Throughout his career, Tom Cruise has played some of the most unforgettable heroes in iconic ‘80s classics, characters you just love to hate in great ‘90s flicks, and has been a staple of one of the biggest action movie franchises of our time. During that stretch, he’s also been so great at playing a villain, even though you can count his bad guys with one hand: the silver-haired hitman Vincent in Collateral and the foul-mouthed Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder.

Well, if a certain rumor about Joseph Kosinski’s upcoming Miami Vice movie proves to be true, we will be able to add another villain to that list. Nothing is confirmed at the time of this writing, but I really hope these rumors are true. I mean, the Hollywood icon has a clean 1.000 batting average when it comes to playing evil characters, and it’s about time we see more of it.

So, What's Going On With Tom Cruise In Miami Vice

In March 2026, DanielRPK (via World of Reel) reported that Tom Cruise is being eyed to play the villain in the F1 director’s hotly anticipated adaptation of Miami Vice, one of the coolest shows of all time. Again, this is nothing more than speculation and should be treated as such until anyone from Universal Pictures or the production itself comments in an official capacity.

That being said, the idea of Cruise playing the antagonist in a crime flick set in 1980s Miami just seems like something that will work and that everyone will be excited about. He’d be dynamic, has potential to be a big threat, and would probably look cold as ice being the foil for Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs down on South Beach. This is especially true if word is correct that Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler are leading this one. It basically writes itself…

This Would Be Cruise's First Villainous Role In Years

There’s a healthy list of actors who primarily play villains that includes everyone from Mads Mikkelsen to Hugo Weaving to Vincent D’Onfrio. Know who you won’t find on that list? Tom Cruise. Over the years, he’s only played two villains (well, three, if you include his borderline sociopath Frank T.J. Mackey to be an antagonist), which is a random factoid I’ve always found quite peculiar. Even legendary actors like Harrison Ford and the the late Robert Redford played the bad guy on a handful of occasions.

For one reason or another, Cruise has largely fallen into the classic “white hat” camp or the strong yet conflicted antihero category, which I’ve always found quite baffling. If I’m being honest, his performance as Vincent in Collateral not only makes the 2004 Michael Mann thriller a good movie, it makes it one of the best of the 2000s. The way he used his charm, swagger, and sophistication to pull off one of the most dangerous villains of the 21st century is something I still champion 20-plus years later. I mean, the briefcase scene alone is reason enough for Cruise to play a villain again. Don’t even get me started with the final showdown on the metro.

Then there’s his work as Les Grossman, the overbearing, enraged, sweaty, dancing antagonist from Tropic Thunder. Though not as cool, calm, or sophisticated as the mysterious Vincent, this Hollywood producer from the outrageously funny 2008 comedy is, honestly, one of Cruise’s best performances. He lost himself in the role, so much so that I often forget that it’s Maverick behind all that makeup and body hair. There’s word we might be getting more Grossman in the future, and I wouldn’t be mad about it.

Cruise Has The Personality And On-Screen Presence To Pull This Off

This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has watched a movie over the past 40-plus years, but Cruise has an on-screen presence that is in a league of its own. When you think of a Hollywood star, chances are his face is one of the first to come to mind. That being said, he has the personality and attention-grabbing qualities to make a killer, unforgettable, and fun-to-watch villain.

I know I keep going back to the Collateral well (in my defense, I don’t have much else to go on), but his portrayal of Vincent worked so well because it played on our perception of Cruise at that point in his career. Coming off of Minority Report and The Last Samurai, his villainous performance came in like a curveball off the plate when we were expecting a fastball in the middle. His combination of on-screen presence and defying expectations led to a masterful performance, and I think he can do something like that again.

This Is Just One Reason I'm Excited For The Post-M:I Stage Of Cruise's Career

The prospect of Cruise showing up in Miami Vice as a villain is just one of the reasons I’m excited for his career coming off the eighth and final Mission: Impossible movie. Don’t get me wrong, the M: I franchise is one of my favorites, and I’ve always gotten down with Ethan Hunt’s increasingly dangerous feats. It’s just that Cruise can start doing other wild and unpredictable things in front of the camera now that he’s not running all the time.

Not a whole lot has been announced (I’m still holding onto the idea of an F1 sequel with Cruise), but he is set to appear in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger near the end of the 2026 movie schedule. A lot of the finer details are being kept secret at this point, but the movie from the director of Birdman, The Revenant, and Amores Perros seems like it’s going to be wild, fantastical, and an Oscar hopeful. Then there’s that long-in-the-works space movie where the actor is said to be going into actual orbit. Who knows, maybe he’ll find a balance of offbeat films and big spectacles as he enters the next stage of his career.

There’s still a great deal of mystery surrounding Miami Vice and its cast, but I suspect that will change sooner rather than later.

When you think of Tom Cruise on set, you probably picture precision, control, and maybe a few death-defying stunts. But according to one of his co-stars, one of his most painful on-set moments didn’t come from a new action movie sequence. It came from a sex scene gone sideways, which left the actor with a broken nose.

During a recent interview shared by Page Six Radio on YouTube, actress Gina Gershon opened up about filming the classic '80s romp Cocktail and revealed one moment that was meant to be playful ended with Cruise taking a knee directly to the face. Gershon explained that the scene in question was her first-ever sex scene, and by her account, he couldn’t have been more supportive, even after the face-smooshing. She explained:

It sounds like a pretty standard bit of on-set collaboration, and long before movies had on-set intimacy coordinators to help with such sequences. No matter how much actors work together to try and make moments feel natural, and maybe even a little fun, things can always get a bit unpredictable. According to Gershon, the turning point came when Cruise tried to elicit a more genuine reaction from her, though he unfortunately picked the exact wrong method. She continued:

Gershon made it clear that tickling wasn’t just a minor annoyance for her, but a hard boundary thanks to an older brother's torment, but apparently, Cruise didn’t think she was being serious. In the middle of filming, he apparently tried it again. That’s when instinct took over, and she kneed him in the face.

But, per Gershon's account, the Top Gun icon took it like a champ. She added:

Not exactly the kind of on-screen chemistry you plan for, but to his credit, the Mission Impossible leading man handled it like a pro. Instead of getting upset, he immediately took the blame and tried to ease Gina Gershon’s panic, all while clearly dealing with a very real injury.

It’s a small moment, but it fits with the reputation he’s built over the years as someone who takes the work seriously and looks out for his co-stars. And it’s kind of wild to think that after decades of doing death-defying stunts, one of his more painful on-set moments came from something much simpler: a tickle.

And no, this isn’t some April Fool’s setup. If you want to revisit the moment (minus the behind-the-scenes chaos), Cocktail is available to stream for free on Tubi beginning on April 1, 2026.

Tom Cruise has done almost everything on the big screen. The actor known for doing all his own stunts (mostly) seemingly has no limitations on what he’s willing to pull off. At this point, it seems like he picks his projects based entirely on what crazy thing the script will let him do. One crazy thing Cruise very much wants to do is make a movie in space, and one person, who would know, is all for it.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is known for being an astrophysicist and for taking shots at movies that don’t use accurate science. Variety caught up with him at the premiere for Project Hail Mary and asked him about Cruise’s planned outer space movie. It turns out Tyson had conversations with the head of NASA after Cruise revealed his intentions. He said…

Filming in zero gravity has been done before. A handful of films, including most famously, Apollo 13, used a C-131 Samaritan, lovingly nicknamed the “Vomit Comet,” which used a parabolic flight path to create a zero gravity environment. However, because the flight path only allows for a few seconds of zero gravity at a time, the movie ended up with several short clips that needed to be stitched together to make longer scenes.

What Tom Cruise wants to do is film in actual outer space. That may seem like a tall order, but when asked if such a thing would be possible, Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn’t bat an eye. He seems to think the only thing needed to make that happen is money, and Tom Cruise has that. Tyson continued…

Filming in space is certainly possible. In fact, it’s already happened. The Russian movie The Challenge included some sequences that were shot at the International Space Station and aboart space capsules. The filming took place in 2021 and the movie was released in 2023.

Only about 35 minutes of The Challenge’s 165 minute runtime was shot in space. Likewise. The plan for Tom Cruise's movie, at least a few years ago, was that the majority of the movie would be set on Earth, with only part of it taking place in space.

At this point the status of Tom Cruise’s outer space adventure is unclear. Not a lot has been said about it recently. He has other projects he’s currently involved in, including Digger with diretor Alejandro G. Iñárritu and a couple of projects with longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. At this point we don’t know when Cruise might even have time to visit outer space. But it is Tom Cruise, so you can be sure that if making the movie is something he truly wants to do, it will happen.

There are major movie franchises, and then there's Star Wars. Generations grew up with the galaxy far, far away, which is still releasing new content in theaters and for those with a Disney+ subscription. A few highly anticipated upcoming Star Wars movies are on the way, including Shawn Levy's Starfighter. Ryan Gosling is the protagonist of that project, which is why he's so bummed that he was absent the day Tom Cruise came to visit. Talk about FOMO.

Back in August, we got our first look at Gosling in Starfighter, and fans who have spent years watching the Star Wars movies in order have been patiently awaiting new information. During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he spoke about the day Tom Cruise himself visited the set, lamenting:

Talk about a bummer. Since he's top of the call sheet, I have to assume that Gosling was called to set more than he wasn't. But unfortunately, fate was not on his side in the midst of Starfighter's production, as he wasn't there when the Mission: Impossible icon breezed through the galaxy. And he was understandably disappointed in that turn of events.

Only time will tell if Starfighter becomes one of Ryan Gosling's best movies, but anticipation for the blockbuster is high, especially thanks to its killer cast and Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy in the director's chair. Later in the same interview, the Barbie actor spoke about Cruise's grand entrance onto the set, saying:

Not only did Cruise get to join the set, but he actually got behind the camera and helped to shoot a scene for the Star Wars flick. This must have been a pinch-me moment for everyone involved... although Ryan Gosling was noticeably absent. He continued speaking about how his young co-star Flynn Gray got to work with the Top Gun icon, offering:

In the chat with Josh Horowitz, Gosling mentioned that he was on set basically every day throughout Starfighter's principal photography. And yet he still missed the day Tom Cruise flew into the fray. He joked about this coincidence, saying:

Is there a secret Tom Cruise/ Ryan Gosling beef we don't know about? Probably not, but it's hard not to feel for the La La Land actor for missing this exciting day on set. We'll just have to see if Cruise ends up seeing the Star Wars flick.

Star Wars: Starfighter is currently set to arrive in theaters on May 28th, 2027. Since it's not part of the 2026 movie release list, fans are going to have to try and be patient. Luckily, another movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is arriving this year on May 22nd.

At 62 years old, Tom Cruise has done a remarkable job staying fit for his movie roles. Anyone remotely familiar with the actor knows he does his own stunts, and that doesn’t look like it’ll end anytime soon even with the Mission: Impossible film series wrapping up last year. So it’s rather fitting that CinemaBlend learned that when Cruise visited the NCIS: Origins set last October, he had advice for the actors on the CBS program about doing action sequences as they’re aging.

I learned about this from Leroy Jethro Gibbs actor Austin Stowell during an interview focused around the episode “Feelin’ Alright?”, which aired this past Tuesday on the 2026 TV schedule and showed the first official meeting between Gibbs and Dwayne Pride. After discussing the episode, I asked Stowell what it was like meeting Cruise, as he was one of several cast and crew members who were photographed with the Hollywood star. He started off by saying:

Even before NCIS: Origins, Austin Stowell knew his way around onscreen action from projects like 12 Strong and Catch-22, not to mention had already guest-starred on a 2010 episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. But he’s definitely putting in a lot of physical effort week to week on Origins as he portrays Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the early 1990s, when the character was starting out at NIS. So Tom Cruise was impressed with how Stowell is keeping himself together, and the conversation about stunts and physical health continued from there:

It’s still unclear why Tom Cruise specifically decided to visit the NCIS: Origins on that October day, though because of his long-standing relationship, it’s hardly surprising he was in the area. Austin Stowell said as much when we concluded this portion of our conversation:

Sadly, not everyone from the NCIS: Origins cast got to enjoy Tom Cruise’s company. Mariel Molino, who plays Lala Dominguez, told me just a few days after it happened that she was taking a nap in her trailer during his visit. That’s most unfortunate for her, but I’m glad Austin Stowell got to talk shop with Cruise. Showrunner David J. North also informed the actor that the bar Daly’s is inspired by the one from Top Gun.

Since NCIS: Origins is returning for Season 3, perhaps the timing will work out again that Tom Cruise can visit the set. If not, at least Austin Stowell can boast about meeting him for the rest of his life, and maybe their paths will cross again in a different way. Meanwhile, there are still more Origins Season 2 episodes to get through Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

There’s a whole lot of change going on in Hollywood right now, especially with the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. However, one thing that’s not changing is Tom Cruise’s willingness to do death-defying stunts. In fact, he most recently did one as Paramount celebrates its new era.

Over the weekend, it was reported that Tom Cruise was seen on top of the Paramount lot’s iconic water tower, per THR. Sources say that the Mission: Impossible star was on top of the tower because he was shooting scenes for a video that’s about the “brand new day” Paramount is entering.

Now, this is by no means the biplane stunt from Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning or the motorcycle jump from Dead Reckoning. However, it certainly is a jaw-dropping action moment. It’s not like people just casually climb this water tower.

Actually, this stunt Cruise pulled for Paramount reminds me more of the action sequence he did for the Olympics back in 2024 as the baton was passed from Paris to LA. For that stunt, he jumped off the Stade de France into the stadium and then rode his motorcycle out. It then cut to a pre-taped bit in LA, where he brought the Olympic flag to California (which will be the home of the next summer games).

While we don’t know how elaborate this Paramount stunt was, it does show, once again, that Cruise is willing to take part in some big action for events that happen outside the movies.

This comes after David Ellison and his company, Skydance, acquired Paramount. Crusie notably has a strong relationship with both of them, too. All the Mission: Impossible movies, both Top Gun films and other Cruise classics, like Days of Thunder and The Firm, were released by Paramount. (Unsurprisingly, you can stream every movie mentioned here with a Paramount+ subscription.) Skydance also co-financed movies like Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, the Jack Reacher films and more. So, it’s not shocking that he put his action skills to work to celebrate the new era this studio is entering.

Interestingly, Cruise signed a “strategic partnership” with Warner Bros back in January of 2024. His movie Digger is the only film to come of that so far, and it will be released later on the 2026 movie schedule. However, considering the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger, he’s back where he was.

Now, Cruise wasn’t the only famous person working on this project that is still kind of a mystery. While it’s unclear if it will be released to the public or just used internally, we do know that Jon M. Chu is directing it. That makes sense considering the Wicked director signed a first-look deal with Paramount back in December. At the moment, it’s unclear if any other high-profile people are involved in this video project.

Apparently, this video is meant to highlight the legacy and history of the studio while also giving insight into its future. Overall, this deal between Paramount and Warner Bros. has been a big point of contention in Holllywood and if it is finalized, it’s sure to make a massive impact. However, while a lot changes, we can always count on Tom Cruise to be ready for a death-defying stunt.

If there’s one thing we all know about Hollywood, it’s that Tom Cruise does all his own stunts. He’s climbed buildings and ridden motorcycles off cliffs, and he’s fired insurance companies who wouldn’t let him do all his own stunts. And yet, Free Solo’s Alex Honnold just low-key called out the Mission: Impossible star for a stunt he maybe didn’t do.

Honnold, who recently followed in Cruise's footsteps by climbing a building on Netflix, recently appeared on the podcast Hassan Manaj Doesn’t Know, where the topic of another famous free climb was discussed: the intro scene in Mission: Impossible II. Manaj asked how it felt that Cruise could do the same thing he did, and Honnold indicated Cruise didn’t actually do that stunt, saying:

Needless to say, this is mind-boggling information that potentially changes everything I thought I knew about the world. The idea that Tom Cruise does all his own stunts is well understood by the public at this point. Lots of actors do some, or even most of their own stunts, but are open that they don’t do them all. Even Hasan Manaj is shook by this revelation.

To be fair, Alex Honnold isn’t claiming that the free climb section in the intro of Mission: Impossible II isn’t Tom Cruise at all, but he does believe there are at least moments when the shot is not him. In the clip above, he mentions at least one section that he thinks was another climber:

A quick check of the credits on Mission: Impossible II does confirm Ron Kauk credited for “stunts” in the film, while it’s not specifically mentioned which stunts, he is a well-known rock climber, so it’s not difficult to put these pieces together. At least some of the climbing isn’t Tom Cruise, and Alex Honnold suggests that may be the case more often than we realize, saying:

It should be said that the discussion of Tom Cruise doing all his own stunts is a relatively recent phenomenon, and Mission: Impossible II is a 26-year-old film. It’s entirely possible, even likely, that Cruise does all his own stunts now, but wasn’t doing that back then. Tom Cruise has almost always been a movie star, but that doesn’t mean he’s always been in a position to demand everything he’s always wanted on set.

Whoever’s doing the free climbing, it’s still pretty awesome.

Glen Powell is 37-years-old, a young man by most people’s standards, but already rather old by Hollywood standards. This is compounded by the fact the actor has only been a notable name for a few short years now, and grinded it out for well over a decade before landing his breakthrough role in Top Gun: Maverick (though some may credit Netflix’s Step it Up).

It was not an easy road to the top. Though Glen Powell’s alleged net worth is in the several million dollar range at this point, at varying points, he was simply the guy who got pushed around in the background of a scene in The Dark Knight Rises. He also nearly passed on Top Gun: Maverick until Tom Cruise convinced him to join after losing the role he really wanted to Miles Teller.

He’s been open about failing in Hollywood over and over again early on, and learning along the way. What he’s said about the process and getting to where he is now.

Auditioning In Hollywood Is A "Luxury."

A couple of years ago, Powell was asked how hard auditioning over and over again is in Hollywood and he told Vanity Fair it’s a “luxury.” The real hard part is grinding it out to even get invited to the table:

Going to bars and clubs may not sound like hard work, but lots of doors were shut on Powell early on. Yet, he kept showing up, and auditioning for a lot of gigs he didn't actually get, including Friday Night Lights and Glee.

When Things Are Going Poorly, “Lie To Yourself.”

Powell would land small roles, then feel like he was in a barren desert for a while. Then, he’d see another tiny tidbit of success, and then it would rinse and repeat. He also told VF it got to a point where he was trying to help limited budget projects get off the ground so he could appear in them. What kept him going though? He simply lied to himself…

Powell moved to LA in 2008, and landed a few roles that nabbed him attention, but not enough to string together a consistent career for some time. Still, hooking up with Richard Linklater for Everybody Wants Some! in 2014 was a notable turn, as did filming Netfix's Set It Up in 2017.

He Did Get Some Encouragement From Denzel Washington Early On.

Glen Powell had early successes in the Spy Kids franchise, and also appeared with Hollywood great Denzel Washington really early on during the making of the 2007 movie The Great Debaters. It was Denzel who encouraged the young actor to keep going, and gave him a piece of advice that stuck with him…

Top Gun: Maverick wouldn't begin production for another 11 years after the movie's release, and wouldn't hit the movie schedule until 2022.

Powell Made Some Mistakes Personally, Too.

One of the most memorable stories Glen Powell ever told had to do with lodging he'd managed to secure thanks to a family friend. The living situation was in a pool house in the posh Beverly Hills neighborhood, and instead of being grateful for the situation, he decided to leverage it by throwing a party that he thought would hopefully improve his career.

He was kicked out by the family afterward, a move he later said felt like "the worst hangover ever." But, he learned from it.

He’s Not Even Close To Ready To Slow Down, Yet.

These days, he knows he won’t be on the top forever in Hollywood. His plan? He’s making as many movies as he can for as long as he can, and really does not want to “press the brake.” In fact, he told CinemaBlend he feels like he is finally “getting started.”

The hard work has paid off. Glen Powell’s got several upcoming projects in the pipeline, these days. You can catch him in How To Make A Killing, in theaters now, or see him in The Great Beyond, The Natural Order, or the currently still untitled music comedy from Judd Apatow he has coming up. Doubtless, there will be plenty more to come from the actor as he approaches the big 4-0 in Tinseltown.

Right now, it seems Timothée Chalamet is the odds-on favorite to win Best Actor at the 98th Academy Awards on March 14th for his starring turn in Marty Supreme. He missed out on the award last year when he was nominated for A Complete Unknown, one of the best music biopics in a while. If he had won last year, he would have been the youngest Best Actor winner ever, but as it stands, if he wins next month, he’ll be the second youngest. It's time the Oscars start rewarding performances for younger actors.

Actors In Their 20s Have Had Little Chance At Winning

Adrien Brody, who won his second Oscar (over Chalamet) last year, holds the record for the youngest Best Actor winner, with his win for The Pianist in 2002, when he was 29 years old. Chalamet turned 30 in December, which means Brody remains the only winner to have done so in his 20s. I would like to see this change, because a lot of fantastic performances by actors in their 20s (or younger) have been nominated, but very rarely rewarded with the Oscar.

I’m talking about actors like Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. He was nominated for the role at age 27, but lost to Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote in 2006. James Dean was nominated twice, both posthumously, for his roles in Giant and East of Eden. Dean died at age 24 and never won the prize. From 1952 until 1955, Marlon Brando was nominated four years in a row in the category, but didn’t win until the end of that run, after he turned 30.

It’s One Reason We Have ‘Make Up’ Oscars

There are plenty of examples over the years of critically acclaimed and popular actors who have won an Oscar for a performance that is seen as not as strong as an earlier role for which they didn’t win. The classic example here is Al Pacino. Sure, he’s great in Scent of a Woman, which was his first Oscar win, but is he better than he was in The Godfather? Or Dog Day Afternoon? Or Serpico? He didn’t win for those, and it took another 20 years for the Academy to recognize him. He was in his 30s for all of those earlier roles, but what about Matt Damon?

Damon was nominated for what I would argue is still the best performance in his stellar career, in Good Will Hunting, when he was 27. He didn’t win (though he did win for Best Screenplay, along with Ben Affleck), and we’re nearly 30 years hence, and one of the biggest stars on the planet still hasn’t won an Oscar for acting. The same goes for Tom Cruise, who was 28 when he was first nominated, for one of his finest performances, in Born on the Fourth of July. He, too, has yet to win, 35 years later. When the Academy doesn’t reward a younger actor for a great performance, sometimes it’s an opportunity missed that is hard to make up for.

I know, I know, the plight of the young, handsome actor in Hollywood isn’t exactly a cause that many feel bad for, I get it. However, the Academy should be rewarding great performances, no matter how old the actor is. Maybe a win from Chalamet, who is on his third nomination already, will open up that door to more Oscars for actors in their 20s, and we'll have to shorten the list of actors who have shockingly never won an Oscar.

Brad Pitt’s F1 was a massive box office hit last year, a noteworthy accomplishment considering the movie was an original IP. However, any movie that isn’t already part of a franchise still has the potential to become one, and it appears that may be in the cards for the racing movie. And after hearing one fan's idea for a sequel that involves Tom Cruise, I'd be all for it.

While nothing is set in stone, early development has apparently begun on a sequel to F1. The first step in creating any movie is coming up with a story to tell, and one post from @miguelaraizac on Twitter reacting to the news of the potential sequel has already pitched a basic concept that is so perfect that the idea has gone viral. And that idea is to reunite the Interview with a Vampire co-stars Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. The post reads (translated from Spanish)…

Make this happen. Sign the talent. I love it not only because it would put Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise back in a movie together, but because a pitch like this would actually set up Tom Cruise as the “bad guy” in the story, which is something that we don’t see very often.

Considering that F1 made over $600 million globally on its own, a sequel that also had Tom Cruise making $1 billion doesn’t even seem like that big a stretch. It feels like a guarantee. Everybody who saw F1 in theaters would probably be buying tickets in advance to see a sequel that’s going even bigger and the added star power of Cruise would surely draw in people who didn’t see F1 until it was available with their Apple TV subscription.

Tom Cruise’s name had already appeared associated with F1 by virtue of the fact that the racing film from Joseph Kosinski came a few years after he directed Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick. There’s also the fact that both movies were produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer also produced Days of Thunder, Cruise’s own racing movie back in 1990. Plus, the two actors did work together a very long time ago, as I mentioned earlier.

In fact, the idea of getting Pitt and Cruise together in a movie that was a sequel to both F1 and Days of Thunder had actually already been pitched. Joseph Kosinski brought up the idea recently, and while he was clearly joking, it could work.

A great deal was made of the fact that Brad Pitt did his own racing in F1. Tom Cruise is known for doing his own stunts, so any theoretical sequel that included both of them would absolutely see them both doing their own driving, and you can bet such a movie would make a big deal out of that.

The odds of an F1 sequel happening at all are unknown, and the odds of a story like this happening would seem to be a pretty long shot. Still, the idea isn’t impossible, and that means I’ll be pulling for it.

Adam Sandler built his career making a series of very silly comedies, but then he surprised a lot of people when he began to shift into more dramatic productions. It’s been a lucrative move, as Sandler has received a lot of praise for these kinds of performances. Apparently he can thank Tom Cruise for all of that.

Adam Sandler's first dramatic role was in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love. It’s a role that was apparently offered to Sandler in a very odd way, as he revealed during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (via People). He was on the set making one of those silly comedies when he got an unexpected call from an unexpected movie star. Sandler explained…

The same year Little Nicky hit theaters, Tom Cruise received an Oscar nomination for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. It seems this connection led to Tom Cruise playing a bit of Hollywood matchmaker, connecting the director with an actor with whom he already wanted to work. Sandler continued…

Sandler says he then went to see Magnolia, more than a little surprised that Paul Thomas Anderson wanted him in a film. Punch Drunk Love isn’t necessarily remembered as well as other films from the director, but it's arguably one of Anderson’s best films. It is also remembered as the movie that showed Hollywood that Adam Sandler could do dramatic roles.

Today, Sandler splits his time between different films. 2025 gave us both Happy Gilmore 2 and Jay Kelly, revealing just what sort of range Sandler really has. Had Paul Thomas Anderson not taken the chance of Sandler, we might have never seen him give incredible performances like Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems. I guess we have to thank Tom Cruise for all of it.

Considering Kurt Russell has been acting in Hollywood since the 1960s, he’s seen the myriad of changes the industry has gone through across the past 60 years. Arguably the biggest change of them all lately is the prominence of streaming. (The 74-year-old star even has his own series among the 2026 TV schedule). So, when Top Gun: Maverick showed the big-screen blockbuster wasn’t a thing of the past, he reached out to the man that made it happen: Tom Cruise.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Russell revealed that Tom Cruise gave him hope regarding the future of the movie industry with Maverick. With that, Russell made sure the actor/producer knew about it. In his words:

After a couple of dismal years for Hollywood following the COVID-19 pandemic, Top Gun: Maverick was one of those big movies that helped prove there was still a big moviegoing audience who wanted to leave their homes for a great experience in a cinema. The film made nearly $1.5 billion worldwide during its 2022 box office run. It ended up being the No. 2 movie of that year, behind Avatar: The Way of Water’s $2.3 billion success. And, as of this writing, the Cruise-fronted flick sits at No. 15 of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

The movie also earned six Oscar nominations, winning one for Best Sound. Kurt Russell is just one of many celebrities who have sung Maverick's praises in recent years. Even Steven Spielberg memorably said that Cruise “saved Hollywood’s a–” and that Maverick “might have saved the entire theatrical industry.” It’s great to know Russell took the time to reach out to Cruise to commend him for what he achieved with the high-flying action film.

Both Cruise and Russell starred in Cameron Crowe’s 2001 film Vanilla Sky, and they seem to have a personal relationship, based on other comments Russell shared with EW. The seasoned actor reveled he actually helped Cruise learn how to fly a plane after he initially found that passion on the set of the original Top Gun. With that knowledge in mind, it's fair to say Russell's guidance (eventually) helped Maverick, given Cruise did get to do his own flying in the sequel after not doing any real aerial driving in the original 1986 film.

Tom Cruise is currently working on a third Top Gun movie and is set to star in the black comedy film Digger, which hits theaters this fall as part of the 2026 movie schedule. I'd like to think that Kurt Russell will continue to cheer on Cruise as he continues to bring new experiences to the big screen.

Kurt Russell is making headlines, and it has nothing to do with his packed 2026 movie schedule or his role in the Yellowstone spinoff The Madison. Instead, the longtime Hollywood icon is trending for a reason that somehow makes him even cooler. After decades of being quietly cool, Russell recently shared a story about airplanes, Top Gun, and a behind-the-scenes role he played in helping Tom Cruise become a legitimate, newsmaking, and accomplished pilot.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Russell looked back on his extensive history as a pilot and how that passion unexpectedly overlapped with Cruise’s career. After Top Gun launched Cruise into global superstardom, it also ignited a real interest in flying. Russell saw that enthusiasm firsthand and decided to help nurture it. As he explained:

It’s one of those stories that fits both men perfectly. Russell, the effortlessly capable veteran with a surprising number of real-world skills, and Cruise, the endlessly curious overachiever who turns every interest into a full-blown obsession. And Russell wasn’t the only one encouraging Cruise’s aviation journey. Director Sydney Pollack also played a part, famously gifting Cruise flying lessons after working together on The Firm.

From there, Cruise’s path was locked in. He didn’t just learn how to fly; he made it part of who he is. Whether it’s piloting his own helicopter to lunch or pushing himself toward death-defying stunts and extreme wing-walking feats, flying became inseparable from his persona. That commitment eventually carried over to the screen in films like American Made and, most notably, Top Gun: Maverick, where realism and practical flying were a huge part of the film’s appeal. Russell clearly clocked that dedication early on, and when asked about Cruise’s skills, he didn’t hesitate to sing his praises:

What makes this even more satisfying is how the legacy continues to extend outward. Cruise, much like Russell and Pollack before him, has paid it forward. His Maverick co-star Glen Powell has shared that Cruise personally covered the cost of his flight school, helping him earn a pilot’s license and cheering him on throughout the process.

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood… actor may be grounded these days, but he’s still orbiting the Top Gun universe. He recently teamed up with Maverick director Joseph Kosinski for a high-energy Super Bowl commercial, alongside Lewis Pullman, keeping those aviation-adjacent vibes alive.

At the end of the day, this isn’t just a fun Hollywood anecdote. It’s a reminder that Cruise’s reputation for authenticity didn’t come out of nowhere, and that sometimes the most influential moments happen far away from a movie set. Kurt Russell didn’t just help Tom Cruise go flying, but quite possibly helped launch a passion that would shape an entire second act of Cruise's career.

Kurt Russell will next be seen in The Madison, debuting March 14 on the 2026 TV premiere calendar.

“You can’t handle the truth!”

Delivered by an enraged Jack Nicholson to a demanding Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, that’s a line that will be remembered for as long as people are watching films, and it’s one of many special parts of the legacy of director Rob Reiner – who we sadly lost late last year. It’s an iconic moment in an iconic film, with two bona fide movie stars going head-to-head, and as great as it is to see on screen time after time, it’s even better when you know a sweet bit of trivia from the day that it was shot.

In the wake of Reiner’s passing. CBS News aired a special title Rob Reiner: Scenes From A Life that features interviews with those whom the filmmaker worked with and was close to, and one segment concerns the creation of his beloved Aaron Sorkin-scripted, marine-centric courtroom drama from 1992. Kiefer Sutherland, who played 2nd Lt. Jonathan Kendrick in A Few Good Men (a few years after working with the director on Stand By Me), recalls being on set the day that the production was shooting the scene where Nicholson’s Col. Nathan R. Jessep took the stand, and he reflected on a memorable silence after Reiner called cut:

It didn’t sound like Rob Reiner was really desperate for a second take from the man who is widely considered to be one of the best actors of all time, but it never hurts to get one for safety. And they didn’t exactly end up having a super long day either.

According to Sutherland, the production had a full day of shooting planned following the big standoff between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, but Reiner was perhaps a bit too happy and wowed to keep working, so he shut it all down and sent everyone home early. Said the actor,

It was proper and earned satisfaction, as recognized by how that famous scene exists in pop culture. Despite only having three scenes in the movie, Jack Nicholson went on to earn a Best Supporting Actor nomination – though he ended up losing the trophy to Unforgiven’s Gene Hackman.

If you have not done yourself a favor and rewatched A Few Good Men recently (either in memory of Rob Reiner or just as a film to throw on), you really should do so, as it really is a tremendous work, and no matter how many times you may have heard it, the “You can’t handle the truth” scene still sends chills down one’s spine. The movie isn’t currently available to stream on any of the major subscription services, but it is available for digital rental and purchase from online retailers and has been released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray for physical media collectors.

Glen Powell’s acting career continues to be impressive. His performance in The Running Man further cements his status as an action star, and his role in Chad Powers landed him a 2026 Golden Globe nomination. Now, with the talented actor becoming a household name, he shares his honest take on how it feels to be compared to his Top Gun: Maverick co-star, Tom Cruise. And, needless to say, he's not putting too much stock in that assumption.

Before Top Gun: Maverick, Glen Powell was doing smaller supporting roles in films like Everybody Wants Some and The Dark Knight Rises. He was also leading smaller, but beloved, movies like Set It Up. Then, after losing the role of "Rooster" to Miles Teller for the Top Gun sequel, Tom Cruise insisted he take on the part of “Hangman.” Now, Maverick is one of the movies that has helped skyrocket Powell's career. So if anything, you can thank Cruise for helping his co-star become the star he is now.

But are these two actors one and the same? With Powell being labeled as “the next Tom Cruise,” he got real with Deadline at the Golden Globes about how he feels about that comparison, and he makes a great point:

As easy as it is to compare actors with other big names, it is true that there’s only one Tom Cruise. Just like there’s only one Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Bruce Willis, or Keanu Reeves. They’re one of a kind. Sure, there are times Powell sounds like the Risky Business actor, like when he previously talked about how to handle stuntwork. And even Powell’s approach about making movies for the fans sounds very Tom Cruise of him. But ultimately, the two bankable stars do things their own unique way.

The Twisters actor truly is lucky to have a friend and mentor in Tom Cruise. He immediately gave him sage words of advice about telling yourself, “you’re the underdog,” which helped make him quite a stand-out in the long-awaited sequel, with a similar energy Val Kilmer gave as “Iceman.”

The same was said when Cruise told Powell about “how to survive” doing a fast-paced action movie like The Running Man without breaking any bones. The Mission: Impossible star was even the Anyone But You actor’s first phone call about his approach to prosthetics for Chad Powers. It’s sweet to know that the Jerry Maguire actor is always there whenever Powell needs direction to continue giving memorable performances.

Fans may be quick to compare Glen Powell to Tom Cruise, but that doesn’t mean the Hit Man actor plans to replace Cruise in the Mission: Impossible films anytime soon. It appears that Powell wants to rightfully make a name for himself while still looking up to Cruise as a mentor and friend. This makes me all the more excited to see these two reunite someday.

You can watch the rising star in Top Gun: Maverick and The Running Man with a Paramount+ subscription.

It was a big deal when The Avengers came out in 2012, because while there had been superhero team movies released before, like X-Men and Fantastic Four, this was the first time that individual superheroes who’d either led their own movies or debuted elsewhere came together for a crossover event. But what if The Avengers had been a TV show released in the late 1980s instead? I know, that’s a drastic pivot, but someone used AI to dream up what such a project might look like, and I’m especially impressed with how Phoebe Cates, Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage were cast.

Shared on X by @VideoChannel134, this video presents the opening credits for a 1989-set Avengers TV show, complete with ‘80s synth pop-style music. Check it out!

Let’s table the fact that this TV show would be coming out at a time when film stars usually steered clear of leading TV shows, and just assume that all these actors would be game to star in The Avengers on the small screen. Tom Cruise as Tony Stark, Phoebe Cates as Natasha Romanoff and Nicolas Cage as Loki are some stellar choices, particularly Cage. If he brought the same kind of energy we see from him in some of his more manic roles, like Castor Troy/Sean Archer in Face/Off, then his version of the God of Mischief would truly be unsettling, yet still entertaining to watch.

Once again, here’s the full lineup of talent for AI-envisioned Avengers TV show that’s, ahem, assembled:

• Tom Cruise as Iron Man
• Brad Pitt as Captain America
• Dolph Lundgren as Thor
• Phoebe Cates as Black Widow
• Denzel Washington as Black Panther
• Kurt Russell as The Winter Soldier
• River Phoenix as Spider-Man
• Arnold Schwarzenegger as Hulk
• Demi Moore as Scarlet Witch
• Nicolas Cage as Loki
• Charlie Sheen as Doctor Strange
• Eddie Murphy as War Machine
• Emilio Estevez as Hawkeye
• Robert De Niro as Thanos

I won’t go so far as to say all of these castings work, as I’m having trouble envisioning Charlie Sheen as Doctor Strange and Robert De Niro as Thanos working properly. But overall, this is a fun ‘what if’ scenario (like if Christopher Nolan directed the Avengers movie) that works under the assumption that audiences in 1989 would be game to see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together week after week in the comfort of their own home. Of course, the special effects obviously wouldn’t have been as good given both the time period and this being a TV production, but in a way, that adds to the charm.

As far as real life goes, we’re now just a little under a year away from the release of the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday. In addition to established characters like Captain America (Sam Wilson), Black Panther (Shuri), Thor and Ant-Man returning, we’ll also reunite with the New Avengers (previously known as the Thunderbolts), the Fantastic Four introduced in First Steps last year, and an incarnation of the X-Men played by actors from the superhero property’s Fox era. They’ll band together to battle Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in a story that will continue in 2027 with Avengers: Secret Wars.

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18, but before that, the MCU will continue expanding this year with the likes of Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, the Jon Bernthal-led Punisher special, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and VisionQuest. If you need to get reacquainted with any specific kind of MCU lore before these projects arrive, break out your Disney+ subscription and stream away.

There’s been a lot of talk about an F1 sequel pretty much ever since the Brad Pitt-led racing movie started making its victory lap following a massive box office run. While the sequel isn’t guaranteed and nothing official has been announced, the film’s director, Joseph Kosinski, has joked about where the franchise could go. Are you ready for this? It involves Tom Cruise and his own classic racecar movie, Days of Thunder.

Wait, a sequel to one of the best 2025 movies and a classic ‘90s flick wrapped up into one? What could this be? Well, come along as I dig into Kosinski’s comments about bringing two of the biggest Hollywood icons of all time together again before breaking down why I think it could work (and make loads of cash).

Joseph Kosinski Has A Cool Pitch, Even If He Was Only Half-Serious

Back in June 2025, ahead of the F1 release, Joseph Kosinski sat down with GQ Magazine UK to talk about the movie and so much more. Eventually, the conversation turned to making a movie with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, whom he directed in Top Gun: Maverick a few years ago. When asked what he would pitch to a studio, Kosinski blurted out an idea that is totally awesome, even if he was only half-serious:

Cruise opened up about the famous go-kart battle he had with Pitt while shooting Interview with the Vampire during Paramount’s CinemaCon 2025 panel, saying they would finish filming and go race each other all night. Channeling that real-life story, along with both giving off the impression that they are extremely competitive, this seems like a recipe for success, or at least crazy on-screen stunts.

This Could Fill In Some Gaps For Sonny Hayes’ Story And Show Us What Came Of Cole Trickle

Though we learn a great deal about Sonny Hayes’ history on and off the track in F1, there are still some gaps in his journey back to the top of the sport after decades of being left in the dust. Having the aging racer cross paths with Cole Trickle and digging up some old beef (or good memories) would add another layer to Hayes’ already complex path of self-discovery and rebirth.

Also, this would give us the chance to see what the former hotshot NASCAR driver has been up to over the past 35 years. Did he become a legend of the sport and earn a spot on the Mt. Rushmore of stock-car racing alongside Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon, or did he have a streak of bad luck and end up like Hayes, having to claw himself back from a desert of irrelevancy? There are just so many ways they could go.

A Reunion For These Two Is A Long Time Coming

Brad Pitt has said he would work with Tom Cruise again if he didn’t have to hang off an airplane, but he didn’t say anything about racing. All jokes aside, a reunion for the Interview with the Vampire stars is a long time coming, and something just about everyone can get behind.

I don’t know the man personally, but I bet Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced both films, is included in that group of folks who want this to happen. He’s spoken on why the two actors are so successful numerous times over the years, so maybe he’s heard Joseph Kosinski’s idea and will make it happen. Let’s make it happen!

Only time will tell if we’ll get an F1 and Days of Thunder crossover event, but I’ll be there if (or when) it happens. Now we just need to think of a good title…

Last month, movie fans around the world were delivered a very strange tease. A poster and silhouette-filled trailer arrived online promoting a new Alejandro G. Iñárritu film titled Digger starring Tom Cruise, and while we know it has an October release date and a tagline calling it “A Comedy Of Catastrophic Proportions,” we know virtually nothing else about it. You can certainly color me among those who were intrigued – and after reading the latest comments about the project from one of Cruise’s co-stars, I’m downright excited.

In a Variety profile, Bugonia star Jesse Plemons only very briefly discusses his work on Digger, but what he had to say should delight cinephiles everywhere. While we know that the movie is a comedy, what kind of comedy will it be? After offering up a wonderful mix of adjectives describing the Iñárritu creation, the actor compared it to a comedy classic: Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb. Said Plemons,

Having made multiple movies with the wild writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos, Jesse Plemons is in a position to know a lot about movies that are off kilter and offer up a mix of tones, and it sounds like he’s right back at that kind of work in the making of Digger.

As for the Dr. Strangelove comparison, I love to hear it, as Kubrick’s film is one of the all-time great comedies… but I also wish that there was some kind of follow-up explaining what he means. Does he make the comparison in the sense that it’s a movie that is built with multiple protagonists playing their own parts in the larger plot? Or is he referring to the world-ending stakes in play? It’s hard to know… and the idea of “and then it becomes something else entirely” makes it even harder to track.

Jesse Plemons is part of an awesome ensemble in the film that includes Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, and John Goodman among others, but it has Tom Cruise in the titular role of Digger Rockwell, and the Breaking Bad actor apparently got a real kick out of getting to see him bring to life a brand new character (something audiences haven’t seen since 2017’s American Made):

We still have a while to go before Digger arrives in theaters everywhere – the movie currently dated for October 2 – but we’ll surely get more insight between now and then regarding what to expect from the Tom Cruise/Alejandro G. Iñárritu team-up. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest, most exciting updates as we get closer to the feature on the 2026 movie release calendar.

While I’ve never really compared Tom Cruise and Matt Damon, I do recognize the commonalities, specifically seeing as they’re both known for starring in action franchises. However, their approach to the action is so different that the Good Will Hunting actor called himself the “anti-Tom Cruise.” And I have to say, I get why he calls himself that.

You know it, and I know it, Tom Cruise does his own stunts, and he loves it. Meanwhile, Matt Damon made it very clear that he’d rather have stuntmen do the action for him. In fact, ahead of the premiere of his new movie, The Rip, on Netflix’s 2026 schedule, he made it very clear to Ben Affleck during an interview with Still Watching Netflix that he’s the “anti-Tom Cruise” when it comes to stunts, saying:

Of course, I love that Cruise does his own stunts and pulls off wild moments like the bi-plane sequence in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. I also appreciate when other actors, like Glen Powell, commit to doing stunts themselves.

However, I also greatly appreciate the other side of this coin. Sunt people are incredible artists, and they put their lives on the line to do this remarkable work. In some cases, the actors can pull it off (like Cruise can). However, in many others, it's best to let the stunt double take over. That’s the mentality Damon clearly has when it comes to action, and he made that clear in the following back-and-forth with Ben Affleck:

• Ben Affleck: Your stuntman has done more interesting stuff.
• Matt Damon: My stuntman has done fantastic work.
• Ben Affleck: On the Bourne movies...the action in those movies is so good. There's a great shot where the camera is behind you when you jump into a window or something? That was amazing.
• Matt Damon: Yeah, that's a guy named Kai [Martin].

This is all reminding me of a story Matt Damon told a while back about a conversation he had with Cruise. They were discussing meetings they've had with safety people on sets and trying to get things approved by them. The Mission: Impossible actor said that if the safety person tells him “no,” he’ll “get a new safety guy.” If the Bourne Identity star got that response, he would just walk away from the stunt and move on.

Both mentalities have their merits; however, there’s no denying that they are totally different. So, I see why Damon calls himself the “anti-Tom Cruise.” The Odyssey actor will transform physically for a role, and he’s very committed to his performances; however, when it comes to stunts, he’ll leave that to his stuntman.

Now, to see Matt Damon (and probably his stuntman) in action, his next movie, The Rip, will be available for those with a Netflix subscription on January 16, and then you can see him on the big screen this summer in The Odyssey. And to see his action opposite, Tom Cruise, you can catch his project on the 2026 movie schedule, Digger, in theaters on October 2.

When Disney bought Lucasfilm, it threw the franchise into overdrive, and between 2015 and 2019, we got five movies, nearly doubling the total number of Star Wars films made since 1977. And yet, since 2019, there’s been nothing on the big screen. Starting with the 2026 movie schedule, that all changes, as at least two Star Wars movies are definitely happening, and it appears that people who make movies, like Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg, are just as excited as the rest of us.

Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy revealed to The New York Times that not only does the cast have A-list stars like Ryan Gosling, but the likes of Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise have been visiting the set. Cruise even got dirty by getting behind a camera and jumping into the mud to film part of the movie. According to Levy…

Steven Spielberg has a long association with George Lucas, so it’s not surprising that he stopped by for a visit. He likely wanted to see what this new film would be doing with the franchise his friend launched almost 50 years ago. One imagines that Spielberg and Levy could have had one hell of a conversation about the past and future and Star Wars, and I would have loved to have heard that.

And then one day, Tom Cruise flew in on a helicopter.

Shawn Levy says that he suggested Tom Cruise pick up a camera and start filming as a joke, but Cruise took him seriously, ending up “up to his ankles in mud and pond water” to film a lightsaber battle. And honestly, does it shock anybody that Tom Cruise, a guy who throws himself off mountains, would just jump at the chance to shoot part of a Star Wars movie?

According to the story, Cruise was only there visiting and ended up behind a camera for fun, so don’t expect to see him appear in Star Wars: Starfighter (although we’ve seen more than our share of Star Wars celebrity cameos in the past, so anything is possible). But now, when we’re all watching Starfighter in 2027, and you watch the big lightsaber fight, you’ll know who to thank for it. Levy continues…

It’s pretty cool. I’m already excited for Star Wars: Starfighter, and while the movie is over a year away, we’re only a few months from the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu that will mark Star Wars' official return to theaters. It’s about to be a very exciting time to be a Star Wars fan again, for both the very famous and everybody else, too.

I think the only thing funnier than a great meme is seeing the subject of said meme react to it. So, you can imagine how delighted I was when an old interview of Tom Cruise reacting to some A+ memes inspired by the Mission: Impossible movies resurfaced on the internet.

Now, allow me to take you back to 2017. Tom Cruise released The Mummy and American Made that year, and he dropped by the BBC to do an interview about his work. However, more importantly for this story, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation had come out two years before this. So, that provided ample time for the internet to take the scene of Cruise hanging off a plane and meme-ify it.

Tom Cruise got a real kick out of all the memes, too, as you can see in the interview below:

As you can see, about 2 minutes and 28 seconds into this video, the interviewer, Ali Plumb, asked Tom Cruise if he was aware of the “Tom Cruise clinging off things meme.” Well, he wasn’t, and clearly he was quite entertained by this brief educational moment.

Personally, I love that the first meme the Top Gun actor saw was of him hanging onto Free Willy’s tail as he jumped out of the ocean. It was a good starting point, because it only got more chaotic. What followed was an image where four Tom Cruises were hanging onto a jumping cat and a photo of Darth Maul falling while Cruise held on for dear life. However, the real doozy was the Risky Business star hanging off Nicolas Cage’s face.

What makes this even better is the scene that inspired this meme is from one of the best Mission: Impossible movies, Rogue Nation. And every time I rewatch that M:I movie, I’m in awe over the stunt and the fact that Tom Cruise was actually hanging off that plane.

This clip is also great because, as it ages, I’d argue, it gets funnier. That’s because, since 2017, three more Mission: Impossible movies have been released, with the most recent, The Final Reckoning, having come out on the 2025 movie schedule. With each movie, Cruise’s stunts get more intense as he continues to defy expectations by doing things like jumping a motorcycle off a cliff and maneuvering between two planes as they’re flying. So, that juxtaposed with silly memes really cracks me up.

Clearly, it cracks the people of the internet up, too, because despite this interview being very old, it resurfaced on Instagram this year. It went viral too, with the repost from FBOY PROBLEMS garnering over 57.5 thousand likes. So, it’s pretty obvious that fans also find the “Tom Cruise clining off things meme” just as funny as Tom Cruise does.

All this is to say, I adore that Tom Cruise got such a kick out of all these memes. Now, I have to go back and watch Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation with a Paramount+ subscription, and I think you should too.