UAE: Catch Tom Cruise in Abu Dhabi at premiere of new Mission Impossible movie

Abu Dhabi will host the Middle East premiere of the eagerly-awaited ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ at a red-carpet event at Emirates Palace on June 26, attended by the movie’s cast and crew, including star Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie.

The breathtaking landscape of the Liwa desert and the iconic Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal were used as locations for Paramount Pictures’ movie thanks to the support of the Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC), part of the Creative Media Authority.

The complexity of the shoot, which included building an Arabian village in the desert and multiple sets at the terminal required a collaborative effort from multiple businesses and entities across Abu Dhabi, including twofour54 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Airports and Etihad Airways, the official airline partner of the film.

It is the second time the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise has filmed in Abu Dhabi, following the jaw-dropping Halo jump sequence that was shot in Abu Dhabi for 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout’, again with the support of ADFC, twofour54 and the UAE military. It is also the seventh instalment in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ film series.

Along with Cruise and McQuarrie, the other stars of the film due to attend the Middle East Premiere later this month are Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Simon Pegg.

Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Acting Director General of Creative Media Authority, noted that hosting the premiere is an honour for Abu Dhabi and is also a reflection of the position the emirate holds as one of Mena’s top film and TV locations.

“We are proud to have worked with such a genre-defining franchise once again and it demonstrates how Abu Dhabi has everything filmmakers need to successfully complete such large, complex productions.”

It was the success of shooting ‘Mission Impossible: Fallout’ in Abu Dhabi that convinced Paramount Pictures to turn to ADFC again to help them complete another ‘Impossible Mission’ – this time sourcing an airport terminal and a desert landscape that would truly elevate the production.

The commission supported the team by securing approvals and permits for the shoot at both the Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal and in Liwa, liaising closely with multiple stakeholders and Abu Dhabi government entities.

After more than a year of planning, filming took place in Abu Dhabi in 2021 over 15 days at the height of the pandemic, yet there was no disruption caused by Covid-19 thanks to the ADFC protocols put in place in Abu Dhabi.

As well as building the sets in Liwa and at the Midfield Terminal, the production team also shot on the roof of the 742,000sqm terminal, the longest single standing arch in the world at 180m.

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