Russian film that beat Tom Cruise into space gets trailer

Sci-fi thriller The Challenge, the one that beat Tom Cruise to become the first Russian film to shoot on the International Space Station, now has a harrowing trailer.

The Challenge has released a new trailer for the Russian sci-fi thriller that beat Tom Cruise to become the first sci-fi movie to be shot in space. For the past decade or so, Mission: Impossible star Cruise has made it his mission to push the limits of onscreen action by performing a series of increasingly dangerous onscreen stunts. Not content with accomplishing such audacious feats on Earth, Cruise now wants to up the ante, aboard a SpaceX rocket, head to the International Space Station, and shoot movies in orbit around Earth.

But if - or - when Cruise finally realizes his dream of filming in space, some of the luster will be taken away from the achievement thanks to a recent Russian production that broke the space barrier for the films before him. The new sci-fi thriller, The Challenge, is making history as the first fictional film to use real actors and real directors for space shots. Now, the film has shown some historic footage in its first trailer, which can be seen in the space below (via Central Partnership):

Everything We Know About The Challenge

To complete its history-making shoot aboard the International Space Station, the challenge In 2021, actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shepenko go into space on a Soyuz transport vehicle. Once in orbit, Shepenko shot 30 hours of footage over 12 days, hiring the astronauts as actors and Peresild as Zhenya in the lead role. Lacking a full crew, Shepenko was forced to juggle multiple duties, serving as her own art director, makeup artist and art director. Ultimately, shots shot in space make up about 35 minutes of the finished film. A synopsis of The Challenge follows:

Cosmonaut Ivanov loses consciousness while the spacecraft is in flight. Doctors decide that it will be necessary to perform heart surgery right in zero gravity. Cardiac surgeon Zhenya Belyaeva, who does not have time to raise her three-year-old daughter, is preparing for the flight.

How Tom Cruise Plans to Best The Challenge

It may be too late for Cruise to become the first person to film a fictional film in space, but the actor still plans to fly his own mission to the International Space Station. As recently revealed to Variety, Cruise's planned film will have him playing a "everyone who discovers that he has the power to save the planet from an unknown threat." Cruise's longtime collaborators Doug Liman and Christopher McQuarrie will both be involved in the film, which should begin filming after Mission: Impossible 8 is complete. Universal Pictures head Donna Langley also revealed that Cruise hopes to be the first civilian to perform a spacewalk.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Cruise will get his wish aboard the International Space Station, or even perform a spacewalk, a feat that the Challenger's crew has not attempted. On the one hand, it's never a good idea to bet against Cruise, an actor-producer who is adept at confusing naysayers, as he once again achieved blockbuster status this year with Top Gun: Maverick . But on the other hand, even Cruise has his limitations, and flying into space for Hollywood mojo might be a bit too much. But now that the challenge is over, Cruise is undoubtedly more motivated to pursue his space dreams.

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