Tom Cruise must convince the authorities governing the “polar bear capital” of the world that he won’t disturb Arctic wildlife when he lands 30 helicopters for a Mission Impossible shoot.
The Hollywood star wants to film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two in Svalbard, Norway.
Lars Fause, the governor of Svalbard, refused production company PolarX’s request to land the helicopters on an Arctic archipelago because it would disturb the surrounding wildlife.
Local environmental leader Kristin Heggelund said the area, which is 600 miles from the North Pole, aims to “maintain a virtually pristine environment.”
“All transits on Svalbard must take place in a manner that does not cause undue disturbance to people or animals,” she said, The Telegraph reported.
Tom Cruise (pictured, file photo) must convince the authorities governing the world’s “polar bear capital” that he won’t disturb Arctic wildlife when he lands 30 helicopters for a Mission Impossible shoot
The Hollywood star wants to film in Svalbard, Norway (photo, file photo) for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two in Svalbard, Norway
The polar night takes place on Spitsbergen for four months of the year, as the Earth rotates on a tilted axis, pushing it away from the direction of the sun – and plunging into darkness.
Located at 78˚ north latitude, the arctic metropolis of Longyearbyen has only about 2,400 inhabitants and is home to even more polar bears, arctic dogs and reindeer.
An estimated 3,000 polar bears live in the territory, with residents mainly living in the capital Longyearbyen.
It is one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas and is known for the rugged and remote terrain of glaciers.
Norway’s culture minister has also blocked the parliamentary subsidy that production companies would normally receive for filming in the country.
Cruise even missed Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony to film for the latest episode of Mission Impossible.
His film, Top Gun: Maverick, won the Academy Award for Best Sound and was credited with saving cinema by Steven Spielberg.
Variety reported earlier this month that Cruise was filming part of Dead Reckoning Part Two aboard an aircraft carrier.
In addition to directing both upcoming entries in the Mission: Impossible series, McQuarrie is also writing and producing them.
He’s been a regular collaborator with Cruise’s since writing his 2008 WWII thriller Valkyrie, and he joined the franchise with the fifth film in the series, 2015’s Rogue Nation.
Cruise returns to the big screen for the debut of Dead Reckoning Part One on July 14.
Fans of the blockbuster series won’t have long to wait for the two part film to end as part two is expected to release in June 2024.
Lars Fause, the governor of Spitsbergen, refused production company PolarX’s request to land the helicopters on an Arctic archipelago because it would disturb the surrounding wildlife
Cruise even missed Sunday night’s Oscars to film for the latest episode of Mission Impossible. His film, Top Gun: Maverick (depicted in the film), won the Academy Award for Best Sound and was credited with saving cinema by Steven Spielberg
The first film features newcomers including Hayley Atwell, Guardians Of The Galaxy star Pom Klementieff, The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes, Catastrophe’s Rob Delaney, Shea Wigham and Charles Parnell, who appeared alongside Cruise in his smash hit Top Gun: Maverick .
Their latest filming location, Svalbard, has proved popular with Hollywood producers as it has been the backdrop for films including the Bond blockbuster Die Another Day in 2002.
Helicopter stunt pilot Marc Wolff, who has worked on Svalbard and with Cruise in the past, told The Times that the actor prefers helicopters to snowmobiles.
He said: ‘But it’s something we have to consider these days, the noise and wildlife disturbance in terms of helicopters.
It’s the polar bear capital of the world. Sometimes there is certain breeding that takes place at times of year that they don’t want to disturb. It’s spring now so they’re just coming out of hibernation.’
MailOnline has reached out to production company PolarX for comment.