The Paris 2024 Olympics continue to capture humanity’s attention this week, but Angelenos now have yet another reason to catch the feats of athleticism on TV: TMZ reports that iconic actor Tom Cruise is scheduled to appear in the closing ceremony on August 11 with an “epic stunt” to “pass the flag to Los Angeles for the 2028 games.”
They mean that quite literally, too: TMZ, citing unnamed sources, says that the closing ceremony plan “involves Tom rappelling down from the top of Stade de France [...] landing on the stadium field and carrying the official Olympic flag”—though the outlet also says that, given the complexity of the project, it may require the need of a stunt double when it comes to the rappelling part of it all.
Then following Cruise’s touchdown, the TV broadcast will “cut to a previously recorded film” that shows the actor boarding a plane in France with the Olympic flag in hand and landing in Los Angeles—“where he skydives down to the Hollywood Sign.” How Tom Cruise is that? He’ll then apparently pass the flag to an assortment of Olympians (TMZ specifies a cyclist, skateboarder and volleyball player) who’ll cruise across L.A.
The portion of the act by the Hollywood Sign was reportedly filmed back in March. According to The Hollywood Reporter, an earlier version of the segment would’ve involved a handoff at Will Rogers State Beach.
This actually isn’t Cruise’s first Olympic rodeo: Two decades ago, in 2004, he carried the torch through L.A. ahead of the Summer Olympics in Athens. And if you’ve been watching this year’s coverage, you’ve likely seen his face pop up on TV in the crowd for swimming and gymnastics events.
Lest you think Cruise had to be convinced to participate, think again: TMZ outlines the actor’s decision to approach the International Olympic Committee about “doing a series of stunts to bridge the Paris and L.A. Games.” Clearly, in some cases, art imitates life; Cruise sounds even more like his Mission Impossible character Ethan Hunt than we thought was possible.