Can a movie actually be filmed in space?

Tom Cruise has built a reputation for jumping into intense action scenes without stunt doubles. From racing cars to climbing skyscrapers, he jumps right into the danger. Now, he’s aiming even higher—literally. His next wild idea is making a movie in real space, not just on Earth with fancy effects. But is that even doable? Turns out, it’s already happened. A Russian film crew shot parts of their movie at the International Space Station over 20 years after the first space tourists started visiting. Most of their footage, though, stayed on Earth. The scenes they filmed in space lasted only about half an hour out of a long movie. So if Cruise wants to make space a big part of his film, he’ll need more than just one quick trip.Zero gravity filming isn’t new. Movies like Apollo 13 used a special plane diving in steep arcs to create short bursts of weightlessness. But those moments last only seconds. To make a whole scene, editors had to piece together dozens of tiny clips. Cruise isn’t interested in faking it—he wants real space, real zero gravity. And according to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, money could make it happen. NASA has already worked with filmmakers before. Private space flights have taken tourists and even commercial projects to orbit. If Cruise is willing to pay the cost, experts say it’s technically possible. The real question isn’t whether it can be done, but whether it’s worth doing. After all, most of the movie would probably still take place on Earth. Why spend millions just for a few minutes of footage?