Universal Eyes Tom Cruise/Elon Musk Space Movie, Budget Could Soar Past $200M

The news that Tom Cruise would be joining with Elon Musk’s Space X to develop the first movie ever shot in outer space…well, it was both pretty wild and yet not-so-crazy for the risk-taking actor.  While it would seem something like this would take an eternity to get moving, things are actually moving pretty quickly. Not only might the film be on the verge of landing a studio, but the budget is starting to come together. Shocker: that shit is going to be huge.

Variety reports that negotiations are underway with Universal to finance and distribute Cruise and Musk’s space movie. Directing will be Cruise’s pal, Doug Liman, who will shoot from the International Space Station. This being the first movie ever to be shot outside of planet Earth, it’s led to some potential hurdles that could derail the whole thing.

So there’s the issue of budget, with estimates surpassing $200M. That’s a Helluva lot of coin for Universal to plunk down under the best of circumstances, but a production like this MUST come with unforeseen circumstances. There’s a good chance that the budget goes way up. Cruise’s salary for this would be in the $30M-$60M range, which is just insane.

The other problem? Insurance. Every movie production is insured, and that is certainly the case with an actor like Cruise who throws himself off of buildings and scales skyscrapers. But with a movie that is being shot off-planet, finding an insurer willing to cover it could be difficult.

So we’ll see where this goes. I think there’s a good chance this movie never happens.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.