Backing from Elon Musk helped Tom Cruise secure a roughly $200 million commitment from Universal Pictures for the first feature-length movie shot, at least in part, in space.
That's according to a report in Deadline Friday. Musk and SpaceX didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
We've previously known that Musk and his rocket company could be involved in the project, as NASA confirmed it was working with Mission Impossible star Cruise on a plan to film aboard the International Space Station.
News that a major studio has committed to the project, even before a script has been written, makes it seem like a little more than just pie in the... uh, space?
We don't know the extent of Musk's partnership, but kicking in some free flights to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon in exchange for a stake or just some epic product placement could save the production millions.
SpaceX made history in May when it successfully sent NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the ISS aboard a commercial craft for the first time. The duo are set to return in the Crew Dragon and splashdown in the ocean on Sunday.
Musk has often repeated the mantra that "space is hard," and he and Cruise are likely to find out that filmmaking in space is even harder. We'll certainly still look forward to seeing whatever the finished product is.
