Space & Astronomy

Russia to beat Tom Cruise in space movie bid

By T.K. Randall
October 11, 2021

Image: International Space Station
Credit: (PD) NASA Back in May of last year, NASA confirmed that it would be working alongside veteran Hollywood actor Tom Cruise on a new movie that would be at least partially filmed aboard the International Space Station - making it the first movie ever to feature footage filmed in outer space.

Not content with missing out however, Russia later revealed that it was seeking a leading actress to venture into space as part of a rival plan to beat the US to the punch.

With the arrival of a Russian film crew aboard the station this week, therefore, it looks as though Cruise's defeat in this latest twist in the Space Race is all but inevitable.

Among the new crew members is Russian actress Yulia Peresild, who will be playing the role of a cardiac surgeon who has been sent into space to save a cosmonaut.Two other Russian crew members - Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov - will also appear in the film.

The team will have only 12 days to shoot all the space scenes for the movie.

Not everyone however approves of the idea of using the ISS for this purpose.

"The ISS is no place for performers, all sorts of clowns or tourists," said Mikhail Kornienko - one of several cosmonauts to have vocally criticized the stunt.

"It's a huge space lab and you shouldn't get in the way of professional work."

Source: BBC News

Tags: Russia, Tom Cruise