Tom Cruise has reportedly declined to seek help from US President Donald Trump to advance his long-rumoured space film project, a decision insiders say was driven by the actor’s determination to remain publicly apolitical.
According to a report by Page Six, Cruise and his frequent collaborator Doug Liman were exploring a groundbreaking movie that would have involved filming scenes in outer space — potentially aboard the International Space Station. Such a project would have required coordination with NASA and possibly Elon Musk’s SpaceX, bringing the federal government squarely into the equation.
Sources told the publication that Cruise, now 63, refused to ask Trump for assistance, despite the president’s growing influence over entertainment projects during his second term. One insider claimed Cruise was concerned that approaching Trump could compromise his long-standing image of political neutrality.
“You’d need permission from the federal government,” the source said. “Tom didn’t want to ask for political reasons.”
Neither Cruise, Liman nor NASA has responded publicly to requests for comment on the claims.
The allegations come amid reports that Trump’s personal interest in certain film franchises has helped fast-track projects in Hollywood, and that executives at major studios including Netflix and Paramount have sought to curry favour with the president for strategic business reasons.
Cruise and Liman’s space-set film was first reported by Deadline in May 2020 and initially appeared to have momentum. Then-NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine publicly welcomed the idea, saying the agency was excited to work with Cruise on a project aboard the space station and hoped popular media could inspire future engineers and scientists.
However, it remains unclear whether NASA cooperation required direct presidential approval or whether the project could have proceeded through normal agency channels. Insiders told Page Six that discussions around the film fizzled out after Trump’s first administration ended less than a year later.
The lack of government backing was not the only challenge facing the ambitious project. In mid-2020, Variety reported that Universal Pictures was considering picking up the film but faced major concerns around insurance, as no movie had ever been shot in space before. There were also rumours that Liman failed a required physical to participate in the production, though a source close to the director denied this, insisting he was in excellent health.
Scheduling complications further complicated matters. Cruise was heavily committed to filming Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning and its sequel The Final Reckoning, both directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who was also listed as a co-writer on the space film alongside Cruise and Liman.
In a September interview with Deadline, Liman said there were “no updates” on the project but stressed that it was not driven by novelty. He said his goal was to create a timeless film that would still resonate even in a future where shooting movies in space might be commonplace.
Cruise’s reported reluctance to engage politically aligns with his broader public posture. He has rarely spoken about his political views and previously declined to receive a Kennedy Center honour after Trump opted to host the ceremony himself. While the official reason cited was scheduling conflicts, the decision reinforced Cruise’s preference to avoid overt political association.
Whether the space film will ever be revived remains uncertain. For now, Cruise’s refusal to seek presidential help appears to have kept one of Hollywood’s most ambitious projects firmly grounded.
