Tom Cruise shares a new behind-the-scenes images from his upcoming collaboration with Alejandro González Iñárritu, his first non-action movie in years. After bidding farewell to Ethan Hunt and the Mission: Impossible franchise, Cruise’s next project, which remains untitled and without an official logline, is expected to be a fairly significant departure.
Though the Iñárritu film remains shrouded in mystery, Cruise now takes to Instagram to share the first behind-the-scenes look at the project. The image doesn’t reveal much, as it’s from a rehearsal, but it does show Cruise leaning on a podium next to Iñárritu with some ornate stonework behind them. Check it out below:
The actor’s Instagram post comes just days after Cruise was awarded an Honorary Oscar for his immense contributions to the art of cinema. Iñárritu introduced the actor for the award, which Cruise mentions in his caption, included below:
Today, I share the first photo taken last year during a rehearsal on the set of my new film with Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
Alejandro, 25 years ago I watched your first film, the classic Amores Perros. This weekend, 25 years later, I was deeply moved to have been presented the Honorary Oscar by you, my dear friend.
I cannot wait to share our new film with you all next year!
Unofficially, it’s been reported that the upcoming Iñárritu movie is about the most powerful man in the world who inadvertently causes a global catastrophe, forcing him into a race against time to prove that he is humanity’s savior. The film, due out on October 2, 2026, reportedly has elements of dark comedy to it, making it a genre departure for Cruise.
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt holding the key in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
The film will mark Cruise’s follow-up to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earlier this year, which capped off his time with the franchise. In addition to multiple Mission: Impossible sequels, the actor has stayed busy over the last decade with action-oriented projects like Top Gun: Maverick (2022), American Made (2017), The Mummy (2017), two Jack Reacher movies, Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Oblivion (2013).
The last time Cruise made a movie that didn’t lean heavily into action was 2012’s Rock of Ages, a musical. Now 63, Cruise may be looking to become more genre-diverse again, just as he was in the early decades of his career in the ’80s and ’90s.
Of course, Cruise isn’t ready to leave action behind entirely, and he still has a number of projects in the pipeline that suggest it will remain a major focus for him in the years ahead. This includes two collaborations with Mission: Impossible franchise veteran Christopher McQuarrie, comprising a World War II action thriller called Broadsword and a remake of the 1977 Clint Eastwood thriller The Gauntlet.
Those films are in addition to two potential Doug Liman collaborations, including the long-gestating Edge of Tomorrow 2 and an underwater thriller called Deeper, which would seemingly pair him with Ana de Armas.
For Iñárritu, the upcoming untitled project will serve as his follow-up to Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022), which was met with a lukewarm reception. Many questions remain about the Iñárritu and Cruise collaboration, but it’s evidently a project the star is excited about.
Headshot Of Tom Cruise In The UK premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ Part One
Birthname
THOMAS CRUISE MAPOTHER IV
Birthdate
July 3, 1962
Birthplace
Syracuse, New York, USA
Height
5 feet 7 inches
Profession
Actor