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Director's Fear: Tom Cruise's Wild Burj Khalifa Stunt
24 Jul
Summary
- Director Brad Bird recalled the terrifying filming of a Mission: Impossible stunt.
- The famous scene involved Tom Cruise scaling the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa.
- Bird's new animated film, Ray Gunn, is set for a 2026 Netflix release.
Director Brad Bird recently recalled the intense on-set experience of filming Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Bird, known for directing animated classics and live-action features, shared a particularly stressful moment from the production.
The film famously featured Tom Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt, scaling the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building at 2,717 feet. Bird admitted that being near Cruise during the high-stakes stunt was not for the faint of heart.
While the production initially planned to shoot only a few scenes at the iconic Dubai structure, nearly the entire sequence was filmed there for IMAX. Bird's recounting highlights the director's perspective on the risks involved in such ambitious movie-making.
Looking ahead, Brad Bird is preparing to release his new animated science-fiction noir film, "Ray Gunn." This project, which he has envisioned for 30 years, is scheduled to debut on Netflix on December 18, 2026.
