EXCLUSIVE: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Stunt Coordinators Talk Making FALLOUT, Biggest Stunts, MISSION 7 & More
Last week, Paramount Picture flew me out to sunny Palm Springs, CA to hang out with Mission: Impossible stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood & ace motorcyclist Jenny Tinmouth to talk all things Fallout!
Last week, ahead of the 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray release of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Paramount Pictures flew me out to sunny Palm Springs, California where I got to hang out with acclaimed second unit director and stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood and world record-holding motorcyclist Jenny Tinmouth, who served as the stunt double for Rebecca Ferguson, at the BMW Performance Center to learn how to drive like Tom Cruise and talk all things Fallout.
We kickstarted an action-packed day at the BMW Performance Center in Thermal, California where, after a quick crash course in high-speed driving, I was able to get behind the wheel of a number of turbocharged vehicles, including the BMW M4, BMW M2, and the MINI Cooper; and after getting to know each respective vehicle, we were allowed to take them out on one of the nicest tracks in the entire country and race alongside our fellow journalists in both a timed run and a drag race.
For anyone that thinks they know how to drive, you may want to reconsider because driving to work is one thing, but driving $100,000 plus car at speeds topping 100mph is a completely different animal and an experience I won't soon forget.
After spending the day feeling the need for speed, I was able to meet Wade Eastwood, who is widely known as the man behind Tom Cruise's biggest and wildest stunts, and he took me for a handful of hot laps around the tricky track in the insanely awesome BMW M5, which is a complete monster of a car with its 4.4-liter twin turbocharged V8 engine with 600 horsepower that is capable of zipping from 0 to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds or less.
And, let me tell you, he didn't waste any time testing out that pedal after I got buckled in.
While doing my best to make small talk, Wade took us to speeds exceeding 140 mph and used the M5's top of the line brakes to drift around each and every turn with the precision of a neurosurgeon and without ever breaking a sweat. It was simultaneously the most exhilarating ride of my life and the most comfortable, which should tell you all you need to know about Wade's driving prowess.
Check out my full interview with Wade Eastwood and Jenny Tinmouth, where we talk about a number of things, including the difference between working on practical action movies versus VFX-heavy films, choreographing more intense fights for our heroes, the status of Mission: Impossible 7, and more!
Plus, here's a quick sizzle reel of my time at the BMW Performance Center:
The best intentions often come back to haunt you. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout features:
Director: Chris McQuarrie
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
Henry Cavill as August Walker
Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust
Sean Harris as Solomon Lane
Angela Bassett as Erica Sloane
Vanessa Kirby as Alanna Mitsopolis/White Widow
Michelle Monaghan as Julia Meade
Wes Bentley as Erik
Frederick Schmidt as Zola Mitsopolis
Alec Baldwin as Alan Hunley
Liang Yang as "John Lark"
Kristoffer Joner as Nils Delbruuk
Mission: Impossible - Fallout is now out on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, & Digital HD!