Nicolai Haugsted
Hollywood’s busiest action star had a hand in next year’s Star Wars film.
When Tom Cruise visited the set of Star Wars: Starfighter in late 2025, no one likely expected him to end up wading through mud with a digital camera in his hands.
But that’s exactly what happened. And the images he captured are, by all accounts, included in the final film.
The story emerged when director Shawn Levy recounted it to The New York Times in an interview, referenced by TheWrap and others. Cruise had flown in by helicopter from London to say hello while the crew was filming a lightsaber scene in a swampy water area.
The week before, Steven Spielberg had paid a visit to the set. When Cruise then showed up, Levy decided to let the action star take some pictures.
“How cool is that?”
Cruise waded ankle-deep in mud and water, leaning intently over the camera as he tried to capture the perfect shot. Levy compared him to a seasoned cinematographer in the interview.
“Last week, Steven Spielberg was here. And now Tom Cruise is standing with a camera, ruining his very nice shoes,” Levy told The New York Times.
The director added that the footage will actually make it into the final film.
“Now, when you watch the movie, you know that part of it was shot by Tom. How cool is that?” Collider quotes Levy as saying.
Ryan Gosling stars as Kade Auberon, and the rest of the cast includes Mia Goth, Amy Adams, Matt Smith, Aaron Pierre, and the young Flynn Gray.
Filming took place in the United Kingdom and in the Mediterranean off Sardinia, where Isola Rossa, among other locations, served as a backdrop. Work concluded in December 2025, and the film is now in post-production.
Disney has set the world premiere for May 28, 2027.
