Tom Cruise splashes out on choppers for Mission: Impossible 8… after racking up £290MILLION bill
HE blew the budget with his upcoming seventh Mission: Impossible movie and now Tom Cruise is going all-out again with the eighth.
I revealed last month how the Hollywood A-lister left film bosses with a £290million bill following the end of filming for the seventh movie in his Mission: Impossible series — £50million more than expected.
And if they’re not careful, they could have the same bank-busting issues all over again.
A source said: “Tom doesn’t do anything by halves and just like Mission: Impossible seven, the eighth film is going to be absolutely huge. No expense has been spared for this production.
“Tom and the team have flown to Limpopo, in South Africa, for filming and have set up a huge base there. He is staying in Hoedspruit, and has been flying the 400-mile round-trip for filming by helicopter most days.
“The action on the production is only just getting started and Tom is going to be working on some of the franchise’s biggest and most expensive stunts to date.
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“He has hired three bi-planes for stunts he was rehearsing in the UK last year. Tom learned to fly the planes and now he’ll put all that into practice.
“The scenes are going to be absolutely massive and some of the most impressive ever seen in the Mission: Impossible films.”
The seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, which is now scheduled for release this September, was plagued by production issues caused by the pandemic.
As I reported last year, filming was stopped a number of times because of coronavirus outbreaks on set, leading to plenty of headaches for Tom and the team.
Given how the world has moved on since then, Tom would be seriously unlucky to have anything derail production this time around.
Katy so keen on Dua duet
THEY are two of the biggest stars on the planet and Dua Lipa and Katy Perry are desperate to get into the studio together.
The pair have had various false starts over the past couple of years.
Insiders tell me that when Katy was working on her 2020 album Smile, she hit up Dua about singing on the track Teary Eyes. But Dua wasn’t sure her vocals would work on the song.
Dua asked Katy if she would feature on her song Ball & Chain. But scheduling issues put paid to that.
A source said: “Dua and Katy are both fans of each other.
“So far it’s been an issue of schedules and that Dua was determined to keep (her 2020 album) Future Nostalgia collab-free. But now she’s looking to the future and has loads of people she wants to work with. Katy is top of that list. Fingers crossed they can make things work.”
While Dua is trekking the globe with her arena tour, Katy is working hard on her upcoming album, as well as a string of collaborations.
I have told how the California Gurls singer teamed up with Madonna to re-record one of the Queen of Pop’s iconic hits.
The mystery song is thought to be part of Madonna’s upcoming remixes project, celebrating her incredible milestone of notching up 50 No1s on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart in the US.
It is tipped for release ahead of the 40th anniversary of her debut single Everybody. I’ll expect a few more madcap videos from her before then.
Ava up fur Vegas
POP sensation Ava Max turns up her sex appeal to the . . . well, max.
The Sweet But Psycho singer shared this snap of herself lying on a bed in a pair of pants and a fur-lined jacket on Instagram. The caption read: “One night in Vegas.”
As well as cashing in her chips at the city’s casinos, Ava will be hoping to be crash the Top Ten this week.
Her single The Motto, with Dutch DJ Tiesto, was at a high of No12 on Friday.
Last month Ava and Tiesto launched a global talent search for the best remix of the track and the prize is not to be sniffed at.
The winner will get their take on the track officially released by Atlantic Records.
I might dig out the guitar and have a go myself . . .
Matt’s un-appy
IF you’re swiping through Tinder and see a profile claiming to be Matt Goss, it could actually be him.
The former Bros singer has admitted to using dating apps to find love – but not all of his attempts have been successful.
He told Radio 5 one app kicked him off because it thought he was a catfish.
Matt, whose old flames include TV presenter Melanie Sykes, singer Rebecca Ferguson and Love Actually actress Martine McCutcheon, said: “I got kicked off because they said, ‘We don’t think Matt Goss would appreciate you imitating him’.
“I was too embarrassed to say, ‘No, it’s me, it’s actually me. I can show you my stats, you know – a naked picture, anything you need’.
“I didn’t have the guts to go, ‘I’m kind of desperate, I’m trying to find someone here’.”
Joel just loves a holiday tune
JOEL Corry has the perfect excuse to take loads of holidays this year – he says he comes up with his best tunes when he is supposed to be off work.
The top producer and DJ, took a long-overdue break to Dubai in January after a relentless year of touring and managed to come up with his current hit What Would You Do? with David Guetta and Bryson Tiller.
In an exclusive chat, he said: “I had a lovely little holiday but I was working a lot on the new single.
“I found that having that headspace in a different environment in the hot weather, it helped me finish the song.
“It’s a lesson I’ve learnt for sure over the past few years, that I need to have those breaks to clear my mind.
“When you are trying to finish records it’s so difficult when you’re go, go, go. You need mental clarity to be in that creative space when working on the music.”
Spring in her step
DENISE Van Outen had a spring in her step – and her dress – for the first night of The Masked Singer Live.
The telly star – a judge on the TV show tour alongside Aston Merrygold – wore this bright yellow dress in Liverpool.
Denise, who wore a black-mirrored Fox costume when she was a contestant on the show, said: “It is such a brilliant format, and to take a show like this that is so much fun and so interactive into big arenas is going to be one hell of a party.”
Saweetie sparkles
SAWEETIE was hoping to clear up at last night’s Grammy Awards after being nominated in two top categories.
And she made sure she got some red carpet practice ahead of the ceremony in Las Vegas, which went on until the early hours today.
She shone in a jewelled green dress at the Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music Collective on Saturday.
At the Grammys Saweetie was up for Best New Artist, where she faced competition from British star Arlo Parks and Olivia Rodrigo, who I tipped to be the winner in that category following the runaway success of her single Driver’s License.
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Saweetie was also up for Best Rap Song for her track Best Friend with Doja Cat – and in my opinion the gong was hers for the taking.
If I don’t wake up to see Saweetie holding that gramophone statuette, she’s been robbed.