Tom Cruise will ultimately not be filming in space.

At the time, the actor was in preliminary discussions with SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, and NASA to bring this unprecedented project to fruition. It was never truly clear how far development had progressed, but the film—an action-adventure with an estimated budget of $200 million—was to be directed by Doug Liman, with only a portion of filming planned in orbit. Tom Cruise was to portray a man at the end of his rope, thrust against his will into the position of being the only one capable of saving Earth. However, according to several sources, the project now appears to have "fallen apart" before even taking off. The reason: a combination of logistical and political constraints. A source summarizes the situation as follows: "From what I understand, they would need NASA's coordination to make this film, and apparently Tom Cruise didn't want to ask Donald Trump for a favor. It requires authorization from the federal government. Tom didn't want to ask, for political reasons." A film in space, a Hollywood fantasy? This position is consistent, given that Cruise has remained largely apolitical over the years and would have feared alienating part of his audience by exposing himself on this issue. Especially since a NASA official appointed under the Trump administration, who had at one time supported the initiative, is no longer in his position, and, according to the same sources, no discussions have resumed within the agency regarding the film. Another obstacle, and a significant one: pure logistics. Insurance, costs, technical constraints… so many parameters difficult to secure. The media outlet that broke the story even claims that Doug Liman failed the medical exam required for the project. Finally, scheduling conflicts haven't helped matters: Tom Cruise and Doug Liman are both committed to other projects for the foreseeable future. As a result, this zero-gravity film will remain, for now, a Hollywood fantasy. This time, the star will stay grounded.