Tom Cruise has reportedly secured fresh employment opportunities for his idle film crew by directing Rick Astley’s latest music video.
Amidst the ongoing Hollywood strikes that continue to have a significant impact on the film industry, it's been reported that Tom Cruise has secured fresh employment for his idled 'Mission: Impossible' film crew. They are now engaged in the production of a music video for the 1980s pop sensation, Rick Astley.
Tom Cruise has reportedly secured new jobs for his film crew, who were left unemployed due to ongoing strikes in Hollywood. The star of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, aged 61, arranged the work for his regular collaborators to ensure they didn’t face financial losses amidst the strikes that have halted work on his latest ‘Mission: Impossible’ film.
According to an industry source cited by The Sun, Tom sought assistance from his ‘Mission: Impossible’ co-star, Simon Pegg, aged 53, who is directing a music video for 1980s pop star Rick Astley’s song ‘Forever and More’. The insider stated, “Tom has worked with a number of the crew on many films, so he wanted to be loyal and help out during tough times. After discussions with Simon and Rick Astley’s label, he’s managed to get them all to work on the video. Rick is delighted about it because they have high standards and could create something extraordinary.”
The Sun also reported that Rick’s video was filmed on Monday at a “secret location” in Britain. While filming for ‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part Two’ was initially planned for release in the summer of 2024, it was halted due to strikes by Hollywood actors and writers.
The Sun further stated that most of the movie had been shot prior to the strikes, except for the biggest action sequence, which is yet to be filmed. Experts suggest that despite the resolution of the writers’ dispute in September, the actors’ strike might continue for the remainder of the year following the breakdown of their negotiations on 11 October.
On 13 October, Simon Pegg announced that the ‘Mission: Impossible’ crew had assisted in directing Rick’s new music video by sharing a picture of himself with the 57-year-old singer on set. Rick’s career has experienced a resurgence after his standout performance at this year’s Glastonbury, where he delivered a self-deprecating solo show on the Pyramid stage and performed a set of Smiths covers with the indie band Blossoms.
His ninth studio album, titled ‘Are We There Yet?’, is scheduled for release in November. Rick revealed during a BBC Breakfast interview on 16 October that he and Simon collaborated on the music video after “sharing some love” at a festival. He added, “He jumped in and did it, he came up with a great script and a whole concept and idea. It was just a great couple of days to shoot it. We’ve gone from iPhone to Hollywood – it’s a crazy jump.”
