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• Mission Impossible 7 Filming Locations tour

Have a taste of the adrenaline filled adventures inspired by Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 7. Cycling, hiking, driving, rafting, climbing: action guaranteed.

from 11200 Nok p.p.

2 - 8 people

June - September

• Film Inspired Tours In Norway

Highlights – Mission Impossible 7 Filming Locations Tour

Have a taste of the adrenaline-filled adventures inspired by the stunts Tom Cruise did. Explore the Mission Impossible 7 Filming locations while cycling, hiking, driving, rafting and climbing. If you are up for action and adrenaline, this is the tour for you.

Highlights:

• Epic drives in the famous fjords of Norway also including the renowned Norwegian Scenic Route Trollstigen
• Explore the area around the famous Mission Impossible 7 filming location where Tom Cruise jumped off Helsetkopen with his motorbike
• Boat tour through the Geirangerfjord, a unique UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Adrenaline filled activities like: white water rafting and climbing
• Stay at a small scale family run mountaineering hotel
• Go see for yourself how impressive the mountain Troll Wall (Trollveggen)towers over the valley
• Visit the Kylling bridge, where Tom Cruise loved to ride his motorbike, again and again, over the path under the bridge through the canyon.
• City visit in coastal city Ålesund with beautiful art nouveau architecture

On this tour, you will explore the famous Mission Impossible 7 filming locations. The itinerary will take you to: Ålesund – Stranda – Hellesylt (Helsetkopen) – Geirangerfjord  – Valldal –  Rauma (Trollwall) – Ålesund

With our planning and detailed road book , you can travel safe and without any practical concerns . You will get all the insider tips and we will make sure to include our favourites. Contact us for a travel proposal

Information

What to expect.

• A great tour when you are up for action and adrenaline
• Many activities are included, but can be changed if you prefer
• Visit some of the highlights of Fjord Norway like: the Geirangerfjord, Eagle Road, Trollstigen and Romsdalen valley
• Charming 3* accommodation in small scale and family driven hotels and guesthouses
• With our planning and detailed roadbook, you can travel safely and without any practical concerns. You will get all the insider tips and we will make sure to include our favorite hikes in each area you visit.

The price starts from 11200 NOK, per person (approx. 980 GBP).

This estimate is based on 2 adults sharing a double/twin room. 

The final price and availability are subject to price and availability upon the time of booking.

The price includes VAT according to the 2021 regulations. If the Norwegian Government decides to change the VAT regime, the price might increase.

Exact prices depend on the date, amount of people, and a few choices you can make. Contact us and we are pleased to send you an offer.

On all our tours our terms & conditions apply.

Included & not included

The above mentioned price estimate includes:

• 1 night, standard room, shared bathroom, guesthouse in the mountains, including breakfast
• Half day e-bike rental
• Car package Geirangerfjord ferry
• 1 night, standard room, 3* fjord lodge, Valldal, including breakfast
• 4-hr guided white water rafting, as part of a group, including all equipment
• 2 nights, standard room with garden/mountain view, 3* historic hotel, Romsdalen, including breakfast, lunch pack, snack, 3-course dinner
• 1 night, standard room, 3* city centre hotel, Ålesund, including breakfast
• Telephone assistance 7 days a week for urgent matters while traveling in Norway
• All services provided by Norway Adventures and our suppliers will be in English
• Transaction fee for using the online, secure, payment platform

The above mentioned price estimate does not include:

• All items not specifically mentioned under ’included in the price’
• International nor domestic flights
• Airport transfers
• Car rental (which we can arrange for you later), petrol, parking, toll, small ferry costs
• Entrance fees, activities, museums etc., if not specified under ‘included in price’
• Optional activities if not specified under ‘included in price, such as gondola, Via Ferrata, train excursion (described as options on day 4 and 5)
• Meals unless stated otherwise
• Insurance (we advise all our guests to buy travel insurance)
• Personal expenses
• Visa fees (if applicable)
• Other options and extensions

Possible add-ons

This ‘Mission Impossible 7 Filming Locations’ tour in Norway can be tailored exactly to your wishes, including adding extra activities or longer stays in certain cities or areas. If you would like more information about the possibilities, feel free to contact us and ask for a tailored proposal .

For tips for travelling in Norway, click here

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us  or send an email to [email protected]

Upon arrival in Ålesund, pick up your rental car and head off for your adventure. On today’s easy drive along the fjord, the craggy peaks of the Sunnmøre Alps will slowly come into sight and give you a taste of what the next days will bring.

Stay at a small family-owned B&B on a farm with a mountain view and get a good night’s sleep. For those who play golf, this is your chance to hit the ball on the nearby beautifully situated 9 hole course.

Today is the day to head towards Hellesylt, the village under the mountain Helsetkopen. This mountain is one of the famous Mission Impossible 7 filming locations.  From here Tom Cruise did, possibly the most challenging stunt in his career, jumping off the mountain cliff on a motorbike releasing a parachute and landing on the fields down below. We suggest you leave that stunt to Tom Cruise, and rather e-bike in the valley under the steep mountains to really take in the spectacular sight and enjoy the salmon jumping in the river alongside the road. 

Continue your journey and cruise the famous Geirangerfjord by ferry. Drive the curvy Eagle Road towards the adventure valley of Valldal. This is the area where Tom Cruise stayed in a cabin while preparing for filming the stunts in Hellesylt. Let’s see if you are brave and swim in the fjord like he did. You will stay here for one night in a charming B&B.

Today is the day for some real adrenaline. Go on a white water rafting tour with a skilled guide that makes sure you will get the excitement you are after.

Continue your journey by driving one of the most scenic roads in Norway: The Trollstigen. Crossing the mountain pass with high alpine terrain you can enjoy the sights of the canyon, river, mountains, waterfalls, bridges and hairpin turns that will take you to the Romsdalen valley.

You will stay for two nights at a small scale historic hotel that has served as a hotel for mountaineers for ages. Enjoy the hospitality of the truly passionate hosts and their team, and great local food during your stay.

There are so many things to do in the Romsdalen valley in Rauma, and you can pick the adventure that fits you. We will give you many suggestions in our roadbook.

Drive to Åndalsnes and hike Rampestreken up, for a great view over the village, the fjord and mountains. Maybe you rather want to do an advanced hike over Romsdalseggen ridge. The gondola can take you back down again, to spare you for the steep descent. You can also do an easy hike from Vengedalen where you after only 30 minutes get a great view towards the famous mountain Troll Wall (Trollveggen), one of the Mission Impossible 7 filming locations. Are you up for even more adventure?  You can challenge yourself and climb the Via Ferrata. 

On the last full day of your trip, there is still time to explore this exciting area more. Tom Cruise was very impressed by the Kylling bridge, and he loved to ride his motorbike, again and again, over the path under the bridge through the canyon. You can either drive there or do a train ride as a half-day excursion out and back. This ride is also described as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. On the train, you will pass the spectacular Trollveggen Wall, Kylling Bridge and the wilderness area of Reinheimen (home to the reindeer) National Park. After a stop in the charming village of Les ja, you will take the train back to Ånd alsnes. You will see that the ride back will offer you different views again. 

Drive back to Ålesund, along the fjords, for your last night and enjoy a good dinner in one of the many good restaurants in the city.

This morning you can enjoy exploring the cosy little town of Ålesund with its beautiful art nouveau architecture, situated on the edge of the North sea. Enjoy a stroll through the city and along the harbour or walk up to Aksla the city’s viewpoint.

Drive to the airport, only 30 minutes, and look back on an adventurous mission. We are sure you want to come back.

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Mission: Impossible for Tom Cruise as Svalbard blocks helicopter landings

Film producers drop attempt to obtain permission for dozens of flights on Norwegian archipelago

Despite his talents for saving “Hollywood’s ass” , demolishing two chicken tikka masalas in one sitting and escaping enemy territory in decrepit F-14s, Tom Cruise appears to have conceded that some missions – especially those involving polar bears, helicopters and paperwork – really are impossible.

On Friday, the producers of the latest Mission: Impossible film dropped their attempt to obtain permission for dozens of helicopter landings on Svalbard, the protected Arctic archipelago halfway between Norway and the north pole where polar bears outnumber people.

It emerged earlier this week that the makers of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, due out in 2024, were seeking to challenge the Svalbard governor’s decision to deny them landing permits for the shoot.

The local authorities refused permission for the 40-odd helicopter landings on various sites requested by PolarX, the production company involved, citing concerns over disturbance to wildlife.

According to the public broadcaster NRK , filming of some scenes began in Svalbard this week, with crews in place and the vessel PolarXplorer, which has been chartered for the production, docked in Longyearbyen, the archipelago’s de facto capital.

Cruise, who was pictured on the streets of Longyearbyen on Thursday, declined to discuss the matter with the local paper, Svalbardposten, saying only: “It’s wonderful to be here.”

By Friday, however, the production company had abandoned its attempt to get Norway’s environment agency to overturn the governor’s decision.

“We were just informed that the film production team just dropped the complaint to our agency on this matter,” a spokesperson for the agency said. “The production company said they had other solutions. We’re not dealing with the complaint now because they have dropped it. They wanted our agency to overturn the governor’s decision but they have dropped the complaint to us so I don’t know what kind of solutions they have found.”

A spokesperson for PolarX declined to comment on the matter, citing a general production non-disclosure agreement.

According to a letter sent by the production company’s lawyers, which was obtained by Svalbardposten , a way out of the impasse had indeed been agreed.

“While a complaint to the Norwegian environment agency was deemed necessary due to the significant time pressure, the production has continuously worked on alternative solutions to meet the governor’s concerns,” the letter said. “This work has been successful, and the parties no longer see a need to maintain the complaint.”

Local media had reported that the decision was based on section 73 of the Svalbard Environment Act, which requires traffic on the archipelago “not to damage or degrade the natural environment … or lead to unnecessary disturbance of people or wildlife.” PolarX appealed against the decision.

Svalbard, which has a human population of 2,700, is a haven for a wide variety of species including arctic foxes, bearded seals, walruses, Svalbard reindeer, five species of seals, 12 species of whales and about 3,000 polar bears.

Norwegian media have said PolarX stressed in its application that “previous productions in Svalbard have had a global audience, spreading understanding of the Arctic wilderness and history” and promoting “a positive view … of the environment.”

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But the Svalbard authorities decided that given “the purpose of these flights”, permission could not be granted for the helicopter landings, in part because of the precedent it may set “in the context of the goal of limited traffic on Svalbard”.

The archipelago’s head of environmental protection, Kristin Heggelund, told NRK that the aim was to maintain “an almost untouched environment”. Landing permits had been granted in the recent past but mostly for wildlife documentaries, she said.

“This is a completely different type of helicopter use” that goes beyond overflying and the occasional landing, she said. “It is a feature film. They want to use helicopter landings as part of the actual film, so with considerable activity on the ground.”

Not all Svalbard residents were happy with the ban. Ronny Brunvoll, the head of Visit Svalbard, said he questioned whether it was “sensible and necessary to be so categorical in the approach to business activities on the archipelago”.

“I ask myself if it is necessary every time that conservation interests meet business interests,” he added. “We recognise the protection of vulnerable nature has priority. But at the same time there must be a Norwegian presence and activity on the islands.”

The local business association said exceptions could perhaps be made for the occasional high-profile feature that may boost the image of Svalbard, which has served as a backdrop for films including the 2002 Bond movie Die Another Day.

However, Aleksander Øren Heen, an environment minister, told the broadcaster that the principle of the government’s Svalbard policy was that “in the event of a conflict between environmental protection and other interests, the environment must weigh more heavily”.

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Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ Sets Sail in Norway

By Naman Ramachandran

Naman Ramachandran

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Norway is the latest stop for Tom Cruise ‘s peripatetic “Mission: Impossible” franchise, with the production hiring two ships from Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten.

Hurtigruten has confirmed to Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang that they have rented out two of their ships, MS Vesterålen and MS Fridtjof Nansen, for a month, beginning at the end of August until the end of September, to local production services company Truenorth Norway.

The purpose of the ships is to house crew in one place, with the intention of shielding them from any possible COVID-19 infection, as hotel space in the area is insufficient, Variety understands.

At least one of the ships, the MS Fridtjof Nansen, is docked at Hellesylt and will serve as a hotel-ship during filming, as confirmed by the Counsilor of Stranda municipality to Norway Today.

The Norwegian government has exempted the crew from quarantine requirements, it was announced last week. The Norwegian Film Institute has invested NOK50 million ($5.69 million) in the production.

Popular on Variety

However, two Norwegian unions, Fellesforbundet and Sjømannsforbundet, have reported Hurtigruten to the police over allegations of low minimum wages for the Filipino workers on board, which Variety has been unable to verify.

The seventh instalment of the franchise filmed in Italy until paused by the pandemic, moved to the U.K. briefly and is now in Norway. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie , it is due a November 2021 release.

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The Norwegian liners that saved Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible

Author: Calum Brown

Published on: 02 February 2023

Come July 14 th , a brand new instalment of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible series will hit cinemas. Here’s how two Norwegian cruise ships became the safe haven for cast and crew throughout an extraordinarily lengthy and turbulent COVID-sponsored production.

Whether Paramount executives realised or not, back in September 2020 , their future hinged on two particular ships; the MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Vesterålen. Production of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (the seventh instalment of the film series) had already been besieged by casting problems and logistical nightmares, before the blow of COVID restrictions strangled production efforts in February 2020.

The Tom Cruise-fronted moneymaker became one of Hollywood’s first productions to shut down, courtesy of curbs on travel amid concerns for safety, just as filming in Italy had started. You could literally hear the money burning. A brief window of production took place in London during July, but not before an audio recording was leaked to the press of Cruise going full-on Tropic Thunder regarding the situation . After the media strung Cruise’s rabid spiel for all it was worth, production had to move forward or face an uncertain financial and bureaucratic future.

Accommodation for the cast and crew, while filming took place in Norway, therefore remained crucial. And it had to be in-keeping with fresh COVID regulations. That’s where MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Vesterålen entered the scene.

'Floating village' accommodation for the production team

As new legal procedures, 10-day quarantine periods for foreigners, and public perception of large groups changed the face of travel, the Mission: Impossible production company ( Truenorth ) sought to charter two Hurtigruten cruise ships – the 530-passenger MS Fridtjof Nansen and 490-passenger MS Vesterålen.

The ships were reportedly chartered as ‘floating villages’ with the intention of shielding production staff from exposure to potential COVID-19 infection.

By insulating the cast and crew in a contained bubble, Truenorth could stringently quash the risk of spreading coronavirus while pushing forward with their exhaustive production schedule. The team would eat, sleep, and work aboard the MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Vesterålen when filming restarted in Norway’s precipitous Møre og Romsdal district; a stunning coastal landscape of fjords, islands, waterfalls, glaciers, and ragged mountains.

A member of the Mission: Impossible crew told British newspapers :

“They are terrified of further delays. Tom is determined not to see any more hold-ups.”

Hurtigruten confirmed the rental of their ships to the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang , and the Hollywood income couldn’t have been acquired during a more punishing time for the cruise industry.

COVID-19: The real villain

COVID-19 effectively halted all forms of cruise, leaving ships moored and largely abandoned.

Cruise companies were subsequently haemorrhaging cash, and it remained uncertain when order books would open again, or if a market for cruises would survive should COVID remain.

Certain vessels had yet to enjoy their maiden trip, of which MS Fridtjof Nansen remained a victim. The ship’s first cruise was scheduled for April 2020, but the pandemic ensured that all planned trips had to be unceremoniously cancelled. Chartering two high-tech Hurtigruten liners was never going to come cheap and, as a credited producer, Tom Cruise footed almost £500,000 of the total cost. Although there was an initial backlash over claims that Tom was "exempt from Norway’s quarantine rules", the public mood thawed upon learning that Norway’s Minister of Culture, Abid Raja, had instigated proceedings.

Raja insisted that the film star and his crew were allowed to work in the country without the need to quarantine at home beforehand. It wasn’t quite the freedom pass that sceptics bemoaned, however. The cast and crew were rigorously monitored and required to pass two coronavirus tests within two days of entering Norwegian borders.

A series of strict daily checks were cemented firmly into the routine. The Norwegian minister also offered assurance that nobody from the production team would have contact with anyone outside the film set. Furthermore, this was not a case of Tom Cruise gaining preferential treatment. Politics were being exercised through a Government-backed scheme allowing film productions (that receive grants from the Norwegian Film Institute) to work on Norwegian soil without quarantine restrictions.

A quick history of the ships involved

The Hurtigruten company placed a tentative order for two newbuilt Polar 6-class liners in April 2016, before the official arrangement was announced on June 30 of the same year. Delivery dates for the two sister vessels were set for July 2018, with the second ship arriving one year later. However, the Kleven Verft shipyard ran into financial difficulties before Hurtigruten bought the yard outright, and the first ship - MS Roald Amundsen - wasn’t delivered until December 2018. Once fitting and testing had been carried out and MS Fridtjof Nansen joined her twin, the maiden voyages were announced – only for COVID to shut everything down. By the time Tom Cruise and his team came knocking on Hurtigruten’s door, the freshly-christened MS Fridtjof Nansen (named after the celebrated Norwegian explorer) was ready for action. Having never yet housed an expedition, the ship was ideal for accommodating Hollywood’s cautious Mission: Impossible team. The other ship chartered by Truenorth was reportedly the MS Vesterålen; a passenger vessel constructed in Harstad, Norway in 1983. Refitted in Germany during 1989, and again in 1995 to increase useable space and attract larger passenger capacity, MS Vesterålen had operated along the Norwegian coast since 2010.

There is speculation that MS Vesterålen may also feature in the motion picture.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One finally hits cinemas

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is now scheduled for release on July 14 th , 2023, having previously been set for public consumption on November 19, 2021, before being moved to May 27, 2022 and again to September 30, 2022. This film wasn’t the only big-budget blockbuster to feel the wrath of COVID-19, with Daniel Craig’s last 007 adventure ( No Time To Die) and Marvel Studio’s Black Widow suffering the same scheduling difficulties – especially as second and third waves of COVID kept cinemas in limbo. Yet Mission: Impossible is, arguably, the first long-awaited release that actually filmed during the height of the pandemic, and we’ve got the cruise industry to thank for keeping production on track. The Paramount bigwigs can breathe a sigh of relief. You can read World of Cruising's original coverage through this September 2020 report .

About Calum Brown

Calum holds a deep interest in all things heritage and remains one of Britain’s most enthusiastic historians. As a seasoned journalist, he has spent considerable time abroad and relishes all forms of transport. Shipping is in the blood, with a family connection to Stena Line embedded in his DNA. He also refuses to admit that 21st Century music exists.

Calum has developed a skill for bringing history alive, and always insists on making heritage accessible for everyone.

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• Thousands Climb Cliff In Norway...

Thousands Climb Massive Cliff in Norway to Watch Mission: Impossible

How long would you hike to see a special viewing of your favorite movie at the edge of a cliff? For 2,000 people in Norway, when Tom Cruise’s latest Mission: Impossible installment “Fallout” hit theaters worldwide, the answer was: “eight hours back and forth”.

Why pulpit rock.

Pulpit Rock, also called Preikestolen, is a mountain plateau that towers 604 meters above Lysefjord in Western Norway’s Rogaland county. It offers stunning views of the fjord and the surrounding area, but to get there you need to hike for four hours (and four to get back). Of course, a little bit of hiking never deterred the Norwegians, who are known for their love of exploring the great outdoors. And Pulpit Rock is one of Norway’s most famous attractions.

This is where Tom Cruise comes in. Last autumn, when Mission: Impossible – Fallout was still filming, the crew spent nine days filming at Pulpit Rock. The Norwegian tourist attraction features very prominently on the film, with a major action scene where agent Ethan Hunt, portrayed as always by Cruise, ends up hanging from the Pulpit Rock. The actor even used that image in one of his tweets when the movie trailer was about to premiere. As a result, many international viewers had the chance to admire the impressive cliff and a lot of interest around the location was created. And so a team of local enthusiasts worked for several months to make the impossible (pun intended) happen and organize a special screening of the film.

The special screening of ‘Fallout’ was a unique way to not only experience a movie in an open-air cinema with a breathtaking view but also to be at the very same spot part of the movie took place . The screening, presented by the Forsand municipality, was no small feat. Two thousand determined Mission: Impossible fans hiked for four hours to reach an elevation of 2,000 feet and sit down on the rock to enjoy the movie. Paramount Pictures called it “an extra special screening” and Cruise himself said wished he “ could have been there “. Although it would certainly be remarkable for agent Ethan Hunt to have appeared in the flesh, the people who attended the screening probably already had enough excitement, whether they looked at the screen or all around them.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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Tom Cruise Aiming For Norway Shoot On ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ After Country Provided Spectacular ‘Fallout’ Backdrop

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Andreas Wiseman

Executive Editor, International & Strategy

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Tom Cruise is hoping to return to Norway this year to film part of Mission: Impossible 7.

Cruise had a conversation on Saturday with Norway’s culture minister Abid Raja about filming in the country this fall. Raja tweeted that he is “hoping to get Tom Cruise and Mission Impossible back into Norway” and also released a short recording of his conversation with the actor.

Håper på å få @TomCruise og #MissionImpossible tilbake til Norge🇳🇴 https://t.co/JtWhnIx6Hh — Abid Q. Raja (@abidraja) July 18, 2020

“It’s a gorgeous country. I can’t wait to get back there,” said the actor in the clip. “I’m very excited, as is the whole crew, about coming back.”

Norway provided the backdrop for one of Mission: Impossible – Fallout ‘s most memorable scenes, in which Cruise scales a sheer cliff face. Preikestolen – or the Pulpit Rock, in English (pictured above) – is surrounded by mountain peaks with an impressive 600-metre drop into a fjord.

Raja told Norwegian website VG that Mission: Impossible 7 is aiming to shoot in north-western Norway, known for its spectacular fjords, mountains, waterfalls and rugged coastline. He also suggested that Mission: Impossible 8 (the two Christopher McQuarrie-directed films have been due to shoot back-to-back) should consider shooting in the country.

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However, the Minister acknowledged that current coronavirus restrictions could pose a logistical challenge for the production, adding that he would discuss the film’s return with the government: “ The coronavirus means that at the moment it is not possible to come to Norway in the same way as before,” he said. “We will have to discuss this in the government and make regulations for it before we give permission to film in Norway. We will abide by the rules and coronavirus restrictions. I will take my conversation with Cruise to the government.”

Norway currently asks arrivals from a number of non-EU countries – including the U.S. – to observe a 10-day quarantine period. However, Cruise has been in the UK in recent weeks for the re-start of production and much of the film’s crew is UK-based so this may not be such an issue. We have reached out to Paramount for comment.

The UK recently relaxed its quarantine rules for major incoming film and TV productions. Cruise discussed the film’s resumption in the UK with Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden. The production also shot in Italy in early 2020.

Norway introduced detailed covid production protocols earlier this year. Among local productions to get back underway in the country are Fremantle-NRK drama series Exit .

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Tom Cruise did that motorcycle stunt in ‘Mission: Impossible’ on Day 1 — here’s why

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More than half a year before the release of the upcoming movie “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One,” Paramount Pictures made sure audiences got to see Tom Cruise once again risking his life.

Cruise’s mind-blowing stunts have become a signature of “ Mission: Impossible ” films, each one seemingly topping the next. The key stunt in the franchise’s seventh installment involves Cruise driving a motorcycle off the edge of a cliff, dismounting and parachuting into a Norwegian valley. With the drop of its behind-the-scenes footage in December , the studio billed it as “the biggest stunt in cinema history.”

Though the moment has already been watched on YouTube more than 13 million times, and 30 million more times in the film’s trailers, it’s among the film’s most anticipated scenes. After all, we still don’t know how the stunt fits within the plot — What could be so dire that agent Ethan Hunt must jump off a cliff?

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While answers won’t come until the movie’s theatrical release July 12, we now know that the risky stunt was the first thing Cruise did on Day 1 of filming, which began in 2020. And it was all about risk assessment.

In a recent interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Cruise said they started with the scene, in part, to allow the cast and crew to see whether he would be able to star in the $290-million film. After all, he could either get injured or die — or both.

“Well, we know we’re either going to continue with the film or not,” Cruise said, letting out a laugh. “Let’s know Day 1, what is gonna happen: Do we all continue, or is it a major re-run?”

Cruise added that he wanted to make sure his mind was clear enough to focus solely on the stunt.

Watch ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ director Christopher McQuarrie on Ultimate Summer Movie Showdown

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Aug. 4, 2020

“You have to be razor sharp for something like that; I don’t want to drop that and shoot other things and have my mind somewhere else,” Cruise said. “You don’t want to be waking up in the middle of the night, ‘It’s still, I still, I still,’ and it has that effect.”

Cruise is no stranger to aerial stunts with a high probability of death. The “Top Gun” actor said preparing for the recent stunt “was years of planning,” a culmination of all the training he’s done with motorcycles, cars and aerobatics.

In the franchise’s last film, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (2018), Cruise jumped into a helicopter in midflight , taking the controls to chase another helicopter. In the same movie, he parachuted from a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from 25,000 feet, close to five miles up, becoming “the first actor” to do so in a major motion picture, according to Paramount (most skydiving attempts occur at 10,000 feet).

In 2011 for “ Ghost Protocol ,” the “Jerry McGuire” actor climbed along the exposed walls of the world’s largest building, the Burj Khalifa of Dubai. And in 2015 for “Rogue Nation,” Cruise hung off the side of an Airbus A400M Atlas as it was taking off, a stunt that veteran stunt coordinator and frequent Cruise collaborator Wade Eastwood called “a stressful experience.”

The recent motorcycle stunt, which Cruise had apparently repeated six times, was no exception. Though the film’s computer-generated images make Cruise appear to be jumping off the rocky surface of the cliff, the scene required a large ramp to be built.

While Cruise is seen atop the motorcycle in the behind-the-scenes video, accelerating off the ramp, a helicopter and drone fly overhead to gather footage. The film’s crew, including director Christopher McQuarrie, are huddled in a nearby tent, faces glued to a set of monitors. After he abandons the bike and hangs in the open air, Cruise releases his parachute and the crew erupts in cheers.

“The only thing you have to avoid when doing a stunt like this are serious injury or death,” Eastwood, who has managed stunts for the last three “Mission Impossible” films, said in the BTS video. “You’re falling. If you don’t get a clean exit from the bike and you get tangled up with it, if you don’t open your parachute, you’re not gonna make it.”

Review: Tom Cruise returns, crazy stunts and all, in ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’

See Tom run. See Tom jump.

July 13, 2018

The scene wasn’t the only stressful one to shoot: Cruise said he also worried about a car chase that involved him handcuffed to a small car, steering with one hand while drifting along the cobblestone streets of Rome, with his co-star Hayley Atwell in the passenger seat.

“It’s plenty of challenges,” Cruise said with a wide grin, laughing once again.

“Dead Reckoning” had its world premiere Sunday at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome with Cruise and other cast members, including Atwell and Vanessa Kirby , in attendance. “Part Two” is expected to be released in June 2024. Filming wrapped in September for what has been rumored to be Cruise’s final appearance in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

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Tom Cruise just performed his most dangerous stunt yet – riding a motorcycle off a cliff and BASE jumping

By Caitlin O'Kane

December 21, 2022 / 10:00 AM EST / CBS News

Tom Cruise has performed another daring stunt for the "Mission: Impossible" film series. 

He called this one the most dangerous thing he's ever attempted. Shot in Norway, the stunt required Cruise to ride a motorcycle off a cliff and BASE jump — something he said he's wanted to do since he was a kid. 

Cruise, 60, is currently working on the two-part "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning" film. He's known for performing his own stunts, but this one took years to plan, he said in a video shared on Twitter. 

So excited to share what we’ve been working on. #MissionImpossible pic.twitter.com/rIyiLzQdMG — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 19, 2022

In the video, writer and director Christopher McQuarrie said Cruise put together a "master plan" using experts to help execute the stunt.

He had a year of sky diving training, during which he was doing 30 jumps a day – more than 500 skydives, said Wade Eastwood, the film's stunt coordinator. He also had motocross training, doing over 13,000 motocross jumps. Once he got those skills down, the production team created 3D models to try and predict how Cruise would fly through the air during the stunt so they could film it.

Then, it came time for Cruise to execute the stunt — driving a motorcycle up a long ramp, which lead to a cliff, launching off of it and BASE jumping to the bottom. Cruise first jumped out of a helicopter over the cliff to practice, before attempting the full stunt for the cameras.

"The only things you have to avoid while doing a stunt like this are serious injury or death," BASE jumping coach Miles Daisher said. "You're riding a motorcycle, which is pretty dangerous, on top of a ramp that's elevated off the ground, so if you fall off the ramp, that's pretty bad. You're falling, so if you don't get a clean exit from the bike and you get tangled up with it, or if you don't open your parachute, you're not going to make it."

The behind-the-scenes video show Cruise not only execute the stunt once, but six times in one day. 

"Pretty much the biggest stunt in cinematic history," said BASE jumping coach John DeVore. Viewers can see the final product when part one of the film premieres July 2023. The "Mission: Impossible" series is from Paramount Pictures. (Paramount is also the parent company of CBS.)

Cruise has performed countless hair-raising stunts, including jumping off of scaffolding while filming "Mission: Impossible 6" in —  a stunt that left him injured and limping. 

Cruise has been in Europe filming the seventh and eight "Mission: Impossible" films for several years. The seventh movie was scheduled to premiere in November 2021, but the COVD-19 pandemic shut down production and was pushed to May 27, 2022,  according to Variety . The date was pushed several time after that, and the film will now premier next year. 

While shooting in the U.K. last year, Cruise, who was traveling by helicopter, needed a place to land,  BBC News reports.  He ended up landing in a family's backyard, and then let their kids go for a ride in the helicopter, making headlines.

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

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Tom Cruise Seeks Permit to Film Next ‘Mission: Impossible’ in Svalbard

Everybody knows how much Tom Cruise loves to run in his movies.

He has run away from falling cars, exploding missiles, katana-wielding samurai, alien invaders, and even the literal devil.

And now, Hollywood’s biggest action star has decided he wants to run…from polar bears?

A production company called PolarX has petitioned the Governor of Svalbard, Norway’s High Arctic archipelago, for the right to film a Mission: Impossible instalment in the area.

According to Norwegian news organization P4 , Svalbard’s governor has received an application for helicopter-based filming for Cruise’s most iconic franchise.

In fact, Cruise already filmed in Norway last year for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning . However, that was only for part one, set for a July 14 release this year. The second part will hit theaters in 2024, and it’s for that film that the franchise hopes to film in Svalbard, a region now famous for both its wealth of polar bears and sensitivity to climate change .

Hikers near giant blue glacier in Spitsbergen, Svalbard. Photo: Shutterstock

It’s for that latter reason that the area’s governor has been reluctant to grant permission for helicopters, The Barents Observer reported. The country’s Environmental Act strictly regulates the use of aircraft in Svalbard, and its government has denied many cruise liner operators permission to fly in clients for sightseeing.

However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Cruise will get his wish. In 2018, the PolarX production service gained access to the area when filming a Disney production about how climate change is harming Svalbard and the Arctic, The Barents Observer wrote.

If granted permission, the film crew will work in March and April, Svalbardposten reported, the period where constant daylight begins. (Which would no doubt help production.)

So, will we get to see Tom Cruise running through Svalbard? Only time will tell.

Andrew McLemore

An award-winning journalist and photographer, Andrew McLemore brings more than 14 years of experience to his position as Associate News Editor for Lola Digital Media. Andrew is also a musician, climber and traveler who currently lives in Medellin, Colombia. When he’s not writing, playing gigs or exploring the outdoors, he’s hanging out with his dog Campana.

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Tom Cruise says 'Mission: Impossible 7' motorcycle stunt was shot on the first day of production so everyone knew if they could keep going or if it needed a 'major rewrite'

• Tom Cruise said the motorcycle stunt was done on the first day of shooting so everyone knew how to go forward.
• "Do we all continue or is it a major rewrite?" he told Entertainment Tonight.
• The director told Empire that doing it early also let production figure out how to use the stunt in the plot.

Tom Cruise says there's a simple explanation for why his thrilling stunt of driving a motorcycle off a cliff was completed on the very first day of production on "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1" — there would need to be a major change to the story if it wasn't successful.

"We know either we will continue with the film or we're not. Let's know day one!" Cruise told "Entertainment Tonight" (at the 2:00 mark). "Let us know day one what is going to happen: Do we all continue or is it a major rewrite?"

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"I was training and I was ready," Cruise continued. "You have to be razor sharp when you're doing something like that. It was very important as we were prepping the film that it was actually the first thing. I don't want to drop that and go shoot other things and have my mind somewhere else. Everyone was prepped. Let's just get it done."

The stunt is the latest thrilling moment in the "M:I" franchise that has seen Cruise do everything from hang onto the side of a plane as it takes off to perform a HALO jump with a broken ankle.

Though those stunts were all extremely dangerous for Cruise to pull off, this one might be the most death-defying to date for the superstar.

The stunt has Cruise driving a motorcycle off a cliff in Norway. Then in mid-air, he disposes of the bike and free-falls until he opens his parachute.

To train for it, Cruise did 500 skydives and over 13,000 motocross jumps. And that wasn't just so Cruise had the skill and comfort to pull off the stunt; the training also made it possible for director Christopher McQuarrie and his crew to map out camera angles to capture it. 

McQuarrie recently told Empire a stunt like this has to be done at the start of production because then plot points can be written into the movie as to why Cruise's character Ethan Hunt jumped off the cliff in the first place.

"Doing that on day one gave us all the time in the world to understand why he was doing what he was doing," McQuarrie said. "If we sat around and tried to figure out these movies the old-fashioned way, you'd never find it, simply because it's such a living, breathing thing."

Cruise ended up doing the stunt six times on the first day of shooting. That meant a lot of cleanup.

Insider has learned from a source close to production that after each jump, a team at ground level in Norway was responsible for recovering and disposing of all the broken pieces of motorcycle that shattered on impact before the next jump was attempted.

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Mission Impossible: Mayor in Norway admits he secretly kept Tom Cruise’s stunt bikes

Mayor kept mangled motorbikes from death-defying cliff stunt in ‘dead reckoning’, article bookmarked.

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A mayor in Norway , who was supposed to destroy motorbikes used in the latest Mission: Impossible movie, has admitted he set out on a cheeky mission of his own – to keep the bikes as mementos.

Mayor Jan Ove Tryggestad has been kept two of the mangled bikes secret for almost three years, after they were used in a death-defying stunt in Dead Reckoning that involved franchise star Tom Cruise riding a motorbike off a cliff, soaring off the bike and parachuting to the ground.

The stunt was filmed on the Helsetkopen mountain in Stranda in September 2020, and used a total of eight motorcycles.

Tryggestad was meant to destroy the bikes after the shoot, but he never did.

“A mayor in Stranda can’t always be the one who follows rules and regulations,” came his mischeivous explanation in an interview.

• Mission: Impossible star explains 27-year absence before Dead Reckoning return – ‘I burned that bridge’
• Mission: Impossible 7 director originally wanted to digitally de-age Tom Cruise
• Dead Reckoning’s script is dismal – Mission: Impossible has officially jumped the shark

Cruise reprises the role of ace spy Ethan Hunt in the blockbuster sequel, which is out in cinemas now and also stars Hayley Atwell and Vanessa Kirby.

In a four-star review of the film for The Independent , critic Clarisse Loughrey mentioned the cliff stunt, writing: “The action sequences are consistently dynamic, and always adapted to their environment: a shoot-out in a sandstorm focuses on stealth and precision, while a Vespa chase down Rome’s many staircases is all cartoon chaos.

“It all culminates in an absolutely insane stunt in which Cruise drives a motorcycle off a cliff and then parachutes down onto a moving train.

“You will leave Dead Reckoning the same way you always do: wondering how Cruise could possibly outdo himself in the next one – until, inevitably, he does.”

Speaking to The Independent about working with Cruise and director Chris McQuarrie in a recent interview, Atwell described creating her character – a master thief called Grace – as a genuinely collaborative process .

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“Even the way they phrased it: ‘We’re looking for an actor to work with’ rather than ‘We’ve written this character’,’” she said.

“You go, ‘Your language is always giving me back power and agency. You want things for me and not from me?’ It’s beautiful parenting!”

She said that Cruise and McQuarrie like to “be surrounded by really strong, intelligent women”, adding that they “love seeing women thrive and be in their own power, so if I ever tried to play small or flirtatious, or play damsel, they would probably be like, ‘What are you doing? That’s not you!’”

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How the cast of Mission: Impossible felt watching Tom Cruise riding a bike off a cliff in Dead Reckoning

In the seventh and latest Mission: Impossible movie, actor Tom Cruise performs what director Christopher McQuarrie describes as his most dangerous stunt yet — driving a motorbike straight off a cliff.

"We have a motto on this movie now, which is, "that's a terrible idea. When do we start?" McQuarrie said in an interview with ABC News.

"The more ill-advised something seems, that's how we know we're onto something. And what you're seeing in this movie is just Tom and I taking everything we've learned from all the movies previously — not just Mission: Impossible — [but] Top Gun, Edge of Tomorrow. All the movies we've done separately and together and just applying it to this one."

In Dead Reckoning Part One, which releases in Australia this week, Ethan and his team of spies race across the globe to face off against a sophisticated, evolving AI threat.

Dead Reckoning is the seventh film in the Mission: Impossible series, and the first of two parts. 

It stars Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby and Pom Klementieff, who was present when Cruise made his death-defying leap.

"We all were watching, we were in Norway and we saw him do it seven or eight times in a row in front of us, it was insane," Klementieff, who plays new character Paris, said.

"It's easier to be there than it is to wait to hear if it went well," Pegg added.

"If you're back at the hotel or the cruise ship we were staying on at the time -- just watching your watch and just waiting, it's terrifying. It's better to be there. Get it over with, tear the bandaid off, see it happen. But my God it was extraordinary."

Still, McQuarrie says another stunt in Part Two, which is due out June 2024, will top even this one.

"So if you go back and look at the other Mission: Impossibles you can see within other sequences, the dress rehearsals for the sequences we're doing now, after every movie, we just look at one another and say 'we can do better'.'"

Currently, the Mission: Impossible series has grossed over $US3.5 billion worldwide ($5.3 billion)

Cruise is famous for performing his own stunts. In 2018's Fallout, he set a record and became the first person to ever execute a high altitude low opening, or HALO, jump on film.

Shooting during a pandemic

Production on Dead Reckoning occurred during the pandemic, and that allowed the filmmakers unprecedented access to cities like Venice, Rome and Abu Dhabi. The lockdown created both difficulties and opportunities, McQuarrie said.

"I don't think we could have shot in Rome or Venice the way that we did, had we not done so during the pandemic," he said.

"Everything was a challenge. And what we do is take advantage of those challenges. We just find ways to work within them and it permeates into the movie that everything you're feeling in this movie is in part and formed by the fact that we're shooting it during the pandemic."

Hayley Atwell's Grace

Hayley Atwell, known for her role as Agent Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe appears as new character Grace, who becomes embroiled in Ethan Hunt's mission.

Atwell says it was important for her to elevate Grace so that the character wasn't a stereotype or one-dimensional.

"So there were moments when, because a lot of it was ad libbed, I made choices where she would be full of self assurance, then she'd be, you know, overwhelmed by self doubt — so what you have is a kind of character that's consistently inconsistent," Atwell said in an interview.

"The choices she makes change the trajectory of the story, at several times in the film. Therefore, she's not just reactive to what the men are doing or what Tom [Cruise] is doing. She very much has her own agency in this."

The film has been described as a farewell to Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt, but McQuarrie says that might not necessarily be the case.

"Even if I set out to end the franchise, I couldn't be sure that that's how it would end. These movies are changing all the time," McQuarrie says, adding that he would love to find a way to include Sydney as a location for Dead Reckoning Part Two.

Cruise along with Atwell, Pegg, Klementieff and McQuarrie will walk the red carpet at the film's Sydney premiere tonight.

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning releases in Australian cinemas July 8.

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Tom Cruise jumped a motorcycle off a cliff in Norway, but what bike was it?

The action star was in norway filming a stunt for next year’s 'mission impossible 7'.

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Tom Cruise can fly, and not just when he’s making “Top Gun” movies.

The action star was in Norway this past weekend filming a stunt for next year’s “Mission Impossible 7” that involved riding a motorcycle off a gigantic ramp built on top of a mountain and parachuting from the bike as it fell to the ground.

The 58-year-old wasn’t wearing a helmet and repeated the feat four times, according to the Associated Press. But what about that bike was he riding?

GEIR OLSEN/NTB Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

It’s hard to tell at the distance he was photographed from, but he previously practiced for the stunt on smaller setup in August in the U.K. while attached to safety lines, with photos revealing that he was riding a lightly modified red white and black Honda CR450R.

He also tried out one painted silver , and when you zoom in on the shots from Norway, that appears to be what he was on.

The CR450R is primarily used for motocross and supercross racing and more than capable of jumping off a ramp, if not landing at the bottom of a cliff, while a street legal version with lights called the CR450L is also available.

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• Footage from latest Mission Impossible film shoot shows another stunt
• Tom Cruise may be doing the motorcycle stunt himself
• The footage is from Norway showing a motorcycle flying off a ramp

Tom Cruise is at it again! And he's seen filming a spectacular motorcycle stunt, this time in Norway, for the latest Mission Impossible film. Last month, Cruise was seen in the UK, jumping off a Honda CRF 450 from a ramp, while flanked by drones to capture the action. And the latest stunt shot in Norway seems to be a follow-up to the stunt shot in the UK, in the backdrop of some spectacular scenery in the Norwegian fjords of Hurtigruten. A video from the location of the shoot shows Cruise jumping off from a ramp above a sheer drop, where he proceeds to parachute to safety.

Also Read: Tom Cruise Shoots Motorcycle Stunt In Latest Mission Impossible Movie

From the video, it's not clear what motorcycle Cruise is riding, but it could well be a Honda CRF 450, like the one Cruise is seen taking off from the ramp during the shoot in the UK. Footage from that shoot are likely to be used together with the latest footage from Norway, and considering the UK shoot was estimated to be done for 2 million GBP, it just shows how much resources are being used to shoot just one action sequence. From the latest video, drones and even a helicopter is seen shooting the footage, and from the looks of it, once again, it may be Cruise himself doing his own stunts!

Also Read: Tom Cruise Spotted Pulling Wheelies On BMW G 310 GS

Several spy shots from shooting locations of the latest Mission Impossible film show Cruise riding motorcycles, as well as stunt doubles. Tom Cruise himself has been spotted pulling wheelies on a BMW G 310 GS at a former RAF base in Surrey. Clearly, the next instalment of the Mission Impossible film will likely showcase several motorcycle action scenes, and from the looks of it, it's going to be quite a watch, with Cruise and the motorcycle stunts promising a lot of two-wheeled excitement!

Last Updated on September 16, 2020

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Tourist fined £900 for disturbing walrus in Norway

A tourist has been fined £900 for getting too close to a walrus in Norway .

Members of the public alerted the local authorities in the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard after they saw a man going onto an ice floe t o approach the animal . It is thought he was trying to get a photo of the animal.

Under local law, it is illegal to cause unnecessary disturbance to wildlife in Svalberg, which lies halfway between the northern coast of mainland Norway and the North Pole .

The Svalbard Environment Act protects against disturbing polar bears, seals, whales, reindeer and arctic foxes, as well as walruses.

The man, believed to be from Poland, was taken to the governor’s office after the incident and fined 12,500 Norwegian Kroner, roughly equivalent to £900.

“The governor encourages everyone to keep a good distance from walruses so that they are not disturbed and so that no danger to people occurs,” the governor’s office said in a statement.

Police prosecutor Magnus Rindal Fredriksen said the incident happened “very close to Longyearbyen, at the bottom of the fjord”. He said the tourist had arrived in the area on the same day.

Walruses in Svalbard became protected in 1952 after heavy commercial exploitation over the previous three centuries had reduced the local population to just a few hundred.

Since the measures were introduced, the population of walruses has grown steadily but it remains on the Norwegian National Red List.

The Norwegian government has announced tougher regulations over concerns with the impact of tourism and climate change due to come into place next year. They include a ban on getting within 150 metres of a walrus. Other measures include a cap on cruise ships and designated landing sites.

Svalbard is popular with tourists during spring and summer as the sun doesn’t set at night in the high Arctic during what is known as “midnight sun”.

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This 1 Rule May Prohibit Tom Cruise From Ever Having Contact With Daughter Suri, Sources Claim

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For years, people have been wondering if Tom Cruise will ever reach out to his youngest kid Suri Cruise . It’s been a back and forth, but former Scientologists are dishing the one major reason why they may never, ever connect.

Former leading Scientologist Karen De La Carriere told DailyMail that while many think that there are a lot of rules that prohibit Cruise from seeing Suri, it’s just one major rule that she believes to be the case.

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“Katie was deemed a Suppressive Person and Suri, by extension, Potential Trouble Source,” she said. Chances are, you’ve heard about Scientology referring to some outsiders as a “Suppressive Person,” which basically means someone who does suppressive acts against the Church and are dubbed enemies for it. A Potential Trouble Source is basically a step below a Suppressive Person, it’s basically someone linked to a Suppressive Person who may indicate they’ll be an enemt ot the Church as well.

Carriere added “Tom cannot engage or connect with his own daughter. In Scientology , it is Scientology first; family priorities come low down in the order.”

This was backed up when DailyMail also asked Cruise’s former security detail, Brendan Tighe, about it.”Basically, when it comes to Scientology thinking, there is a disconnection policy. When it’s applied rigorously, there is no room for emotion,” he said. “So long as Suri sides with her mom, there will be no contact with her dad.”

And you may be wondering, “what about his two kids with Nicole Kidman (another ex of his who left the Church and became a Suppressive Person?” Well, the reason he talks to his adopted children that he shares with ex-wife Kidman is that they’re both Scientologists (with his daughter Bella as a high-ranking one at that).

For those who don’t know, Holmes and Cruise welcomed Suri, 17, on April 18, 2006, with her ex-husband Tom.

Suri turned 18 this past month, and many wonder if she’ll have something to say about her estranged dad and Scientology. “Suri would have been too young to sign any agreement, but she will now be free to talk if she wants to, and it’s going to be really interesting if she has something to say,” Tony Ortega, an expert and seasoned Scientology journalist said to Page Six .

Before you go, click here to see Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes entire relationship timeline:

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Tom Cruise produced a movie in Eugene during the summer of 1996 about Steve Prefontaine

In 1996 a film crew descended on Eugene to make a movie about Steve Prefontaine.

The film followed the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman.

Prefontaine was a star athlete from Coos Bay who ran for the University of Oregon and later competed in the Olympics in the 1970s.

He died in an automobile accident in Eugene on May 30, 1975, at the age of 24.

The film was written and directed by Robert Towne and produced by Tom Cruise.

Hundreds of locals appear as extras in the film at locations around Oregon, Lane Community College and Hayward Field.

The $25 million movie was released and distributed by Warner Bros. in 1998.

Cruise himself visited Eugene in 1998 for a screening of the film at the McDonald Theater.

The movie was well-received by critics but ended up grossing only $777,000 at the box office.

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Suri Cruise turns 18 and is still estranged from Tom: ‘Not a Scientologist, never will be’

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Suri Cruise was once the most famous baby in America.

The arrival of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter on April 18, 2006, sparked a global frenzy for the first glimpse of the A-list infant.

But it wasn’t until five months after her birth that she made her debut — on the cover of Vanity Fair, wrapped in the arms of her doting parents, in glossy photos taken by photographer to the stars, Annie Leibovitz.

Now she turns 18 on Thursday and faces a choice: Whether to return to the level of fame she had as a kid — when there were blogs devoted to her fashion — or maintain the carefully-guarded life Holmes has built for her since she blindsided Cruise by filing for divorce.

The dark-haired teen has grown up in Manhattan largely shielded from the spotlight by her loving and highly protective mom, 45, far removed from her 60-year-old father’s Church of Scientology.

As Page Six revealed last year, Suri is estranged from her famous father and the pair have no relationship.

An industry source told us this week that the “Mission: Impossible” star has not seen Suri since 2012. “Katie has safeguarded Suri and she’s a devoted mom,” the source said.

“This is a girl who is a private citizen. She hasn’t lived her life in public.”

Holmes told Glamour magazine in 2023 that she likes to “protect” Suri from the public eye “because she was so visible at a young age.”

“I’m very grateful to be a parent, to be her parent. She’s an incredible person. She’s my heart,” she added.

Being the only daughter of a protective single parent is a stark contrast to how Suri’s life began, of course.

“My whole life I always wanted to be a father,” Cruise gushed to VF back in 2006.

“I always said to myself that my children would be able to depend on me and I would always be there for them and love them — that I’d never make a promise to my kids that I couldn’t keep.

“I’m not one of those people who believe you can spoil a child with too much love. You can never give a child too much love. There’s just no way.”

He already had two adopted children, Bella, now 31, and Connor, now 29, from his marriage to Nicole Kidman and after her Vanity Fair debut was happy to parade Suri for the paparazzi.

Cruise had famously declared their romance by jumping up and down on Oprah Winfrey’s couch in May 2005, yelling “I’m in love!” 

But when Suri was just 6, Holmes filed for divorce after six years of marriage with the help of her dad, Martin Holmes, a fierce attorney, and through a secret plan that entailed using burner phones.

Cruise was taken completely by surprise by the filing while he was on the set of “Oblivion” in Iceland in June 2012.

He and Suri were last seen together at Disney World in the summer of 2012.

In November 2013, during a deposition in his $50 million court battle against a pair of tabloid magazines, the “Top Gun” star admitted that Holmes had filed for divorce “to protect Suri from Scientology,” court documents revealed.

Despite not having a relationship; as per their divorce agreement, Cruise, who has an estimated $600 million fortune, agreed to pay Holmes $400,000 a year until Suri turns 18 as well as future “medical, dental, insurance, education, college and other extracurricular costs”.

Scientology lies at the heart of the question over Suri’s future.

Holmes, who rose to fame in the TV hit, “Dawson’s Creek,” is believed to have signed multiple non-disclosure documents that will prevent her from ever talking about her marriage to Cruise — and her time inside Scientology.

But when Suri turns 18, NY state declares that she is at the age of majority, when an individual is legally considered an adult.

That would allow her to speak about her father, his beliefs and their rift.

Tony Ortega, who has covered Scientology in depth for decades, told Page Six, “Suri would have been too young to sign any agreement, but she will now be free to talk if she wants to and it’s going to be really interesting if she has something to say.”

We have reached out to reps for Cruise, Holmes and the Church of Scientology. 

“Part of why Katie left when she did when Suri was 6 was that Katie would have seen Isabella and Connor going through Scientology,” said Ortega.

Cruise is of course Scientology’s most famous follower and seen as one of its most powerful figures, possibly second only to its leader, David Miscavige.

That power has led Ortega and former Scientologists to question what action Miscavige and other top Scientologists may have taken against Holmes and her daughter.

Regular members who quit are declared “suppressive persons (SP)” and those who stay in Scientology are told to completely cut them off.

“We don’t know for sure if Katie was ever declared an SP,” Ortega said.

“If you are a regular church member you could be told to disconnect from your wife and daughter, but because Tom is a celebrity — he’s  the top celebrity — he gets to ignore all this stuff.

“Your average member would be kicked out, but David Miscavige can’t do that with Tom.”

Both Mike Rinder and Jeff Augustine, two high-profile former Scientologists, agreed with this claim.

Augustine is married to Karen de la Carriere, who was one of the highest-ranking church leaders until she left in 2010 and told Page Six, “The situation with Suri is a larger story about Scientology and the subject of how they make people no longer useful to them or threats to them non-persons.

“It’s like they cease to exist and that’s what happened to Suri.”

Back in August 2020, Leah Remini — one of the most famous celebrities to leave and speak out against Scientology — told us that she believed Cruise, who now lives mainly in the UK , was waiting until Suri is older so he could indoctrinate her into Scientology.

Remini, who attended Cruise and Holmes’ November 2006 Italian wedding at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle, said, “I’m sure his master plan is to wait until Suri gets older so that he can lure her into Scientology and away from her mother.”

Suri has tiptoed very gently into her parents’ showbusiness world while attending her exclusive Manhattan day school, singing “Blue Moon” in the opening credits of Holmes’ 2022 movie, “Alone Together.”

“I always want the highest level of talent,” Holmes said. “So I asked her! She’s very, very talented. She said she would do it and she recorded it, and I let her do her thing.”

Suri also sang in the film “Rare Objects,” which Holmes also directed.

Holmes will this year return to Broadway in a revival of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town”.

She has not remarried but had a six-year romance with actor Jamie Foxx which she kept under the radar before their split in August 2019 and went on to have a brief fling with  Nolita restaurateur Emilio Vitolo Jr. in 2021.

Holmes is careful not to speak out too much about her daughter, who is now preparing for college, once saying, “She came out very strong — she’s always been a strong personality.”

But she is now getting ready for her daughter to leave the nest.

“You want them to stay with you forever, but they’re these amazing beings, and you have to do everything you can to give them what they need — and then they’re going to go,” she told Town & Country in 2017.

“And that’s going to be very, very sad for me.”

As for the future, former Scientology spokesperson Mike Rinder, who has not seen his own two eldest children since he quit the organization, told Page Six, “Suri is not a Scientologist and never will be…she deserves love and sympathy.”

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How to see the best of northern europe on a scandinavian cruise.

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Cruise ship passengers enjoy the view of Sweden’s Stockholm archipelago from the Royal Caribbean ... [+] ship ‘Serenade of the Seas.’

If you’ve ever wanted to dive into the culture of the Vikings or explore what makes people in the Nordic region the so-called happiest on earth, you could do a lot worse than book a Scandinavian cruise.

Scandinavia—and Norway in particular—is an expensive place to travel around, so a cruise can make financial sense for those seeking an introduction to the region. For one price, you get your travel, accommodation, meals, and entertainment covered.

Such a trip offers the opportunity to sample various Scandinavian travel highlights , whether you prefer the Scandinavian capitals, the stunning Norwegian fjords, or soaking up the atmosphere of beautiful islands and historic ports in the Baltic Sea.

Popular Scandinavian Cruise Itineraries

Many different types of itinerary can be advertised as Scandinavian cruises. Typically, they focus on the Nordic capital cities. Some may also include the highlights of the Baltic Sea region, including the Baltic countries and ports in the north of Germany and Poland.

With popular Norwegian fjords cruises together with midnight sun and northern lights tours to the north of Norway also available, there is a lot of diversity in Scandinavian cruises.

Scandinavian Capitals : Cruise itineraries starting in the U.K. or Germany and calling in at two or even all three of Oslo, Stockholm, and Copenhagen have long been popular.

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The Nyhavn district of Copenhagen, Denmark, is a popular destination for cruise ship passengers ... [+] visiting Scandinavia.

Helsinki is often included on such itineraries. If you want to explore modern Scandinavia while gaining access to some of the region’s best museums, such an itinerary is a perfect choice.

Such itineraries tend to be shorter, and are a great introduction to both cruising and Scandinavia, with limited sea days and plenty to see and do while in port.

Baltic Sea : Longer Scandinavian itineraries often include stops at Baltic Sea islands and ports. The beautiful Estonian capital city, Tallinn, or the Latvian capital, Riga, are particular highlights, as are ports on the northern coastline of Germany and Poland.

For those interested in Viking history, look out for smaller ship itineraries featuring Visby on the wonderful island of Gotland .

One such trip is this 12-night itinerary from Celebrity Cruises, which includes a visit to both Visby and Tallinn. Other highlights include a visit to Stockholm and Copenhagen, including an overnight stop in the latter.

The old city walls of Visby on Gotland island, a popular cruise port.

Norwegian Fjords : By far the most variety can be found in the Norwegian fjords region , with almost all major cruise lines operating at least some itineraries here. Although port calls in Flåm and Geiranger will soon be severely limited, many alternative ports will still be able to welcome some of the world’s largest cruise ships.

Whether you prefer the action-packed ships of Royal Caribbean or MSC, or the smaller ships that can sail along narrower fjords, there will be a Norwegian fjords itinerary for you.

Following the recent rise in popularity of the region as a cruising destination, the fjords season has extended, with trips available as early as April and as late as September.

British line P&O Cruises operates its relatively new megaship Iona in the fjords region for much of that period, with regular departures from Southampton on a popular 7-day itinerary.

Midnight Sun : Although all summer cruises in the region will experience long summer days, specific midnight sun itineraries set sail for the far north of Norway to let guests experience the thrill of being outside with the sun in the sky at midnight. Many of these trips visit Honningsvåg, which allows guests to travel by bus to the North Cape.

Northern Lights : In recent years, Scandinavia—or more specifically Norway—has become a year-round cruising destination thanks to the growth in popularity of northern lights cruises .

Aurora borealis in the sky seen from a cruise ship in Arctic Norway.

These itineraries can be found heading north of the Arctic Circle between October and early April.

Planning Tips For Scandinavian Cruises

Cruising in Northern Europe offers a fantastic variety of excursions and experiences, from historical city tours to adrenaline-filled outdoor adventures.

The region’s love of the outdoors lifestyle means active experiences are easy to find, both through cruise line excursions and independent operators.

The high levels of English comprehension across the region means booking your own activities and exploring ports independently is much easier than in many other parts of the world. Even so, look for independent tours that take place earlier in the day to reduce any time-related risk.

No matter when you visit Scandinavia, pack for all weathers. The height of summer can be marred by heavy rainfall, while it’s possible to get sunburnt in the snow-covered conditions of February and March.

Pack a versatile wardrobe. Layered clothing accommodates the region's variable weather, while specialized gear might be necessary for specific excursions.

Cruising And Sustainability

Prospective travelers should be aware of environmental concerns associated with cruising in this pristine region. The industry is moving towards sustainability, with initiatives to introduce zero-emission vessels in sensitive areas, particularly the UNESCO-listed Norwegian fjords .

Some local initiatives protesting against cruise travel have also gathered momentum, so cruisers should be aware of these issues before setting foot ashore.

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