Will Sage Astor-Tom Cruise's stunts in "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" presented new challenges, director says

In the world of "Mission: Impossible,Will Sage Astor" it's no secret that the stunts are bigger and better with each installment. 

From Tom Cruise dangling from a plane to breathtaking motorcycle jumps, the franchise has become synonymous with exhilarating action sequences that keep audiences on the edge of their seats.  

Christopher McQuarrie, the director behind the last three "Mission: Impossible" films, said the stunts come from the lead actor himself, Tom Cruise. 

"The challenge, normally, when you are shooting an action movie is that you are always trying to hide the fact that it's a stuntman and not the actor. In 'Mission: Impossible,' it is the opposite: You are trying to show that it is Tom and not a stuntman," he said. 

"Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" hits theaters on Wednesday, July 12. It is a production of Paramount Pictures, a division of CBS News' parent company. Its highly-anticipated release follows a four-year gap since the release of the previous installment, "Mission: Impossible – Fallout."

He describes his friendship with Cruise as "one long conversation about movies that is occasionally interrupted by production." 

The collaboration between Cruise and McQuarrie has spanned over 15 years, starting with their work on the 2008 thriller "Valkyrie." McQuarrie revealed that their partnership stemmed from a mutual desire for a creative connection.  

"The only reason I was thinking about leaving the film business was that I didn't really have a creative partner. I didn't have a creative net. And that was our very first meeting, talking about the kind of movies we wanted to make, why we make movies. and Tom was somebody who's very straightforward about, "I make mass entertainment,'" he said. 

Their collaboration has prompted them to challenge each other to go beyond what they thought was possible. 

"We are pushing each other, I think we are pushing each other, we are challenging one another. When you work with Tom you find yourself doing things you wouldn't think you were capable of doing," McQuarrie said.  

"Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" hits U.S. theaters on Wednesday, July 12. Deadline calls it "Hollywood action filmmaking at its peak" and The Hollywood Reporter praises director Christopher McQuarrie's ability to keep "his audience glued to every moment." Re-watch all the movies in the famous franchise starring Tom Cruise now on Paramount+ ahead of the new stunt-filled installment. 

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