The Mission: Impossible franchise has become just as synonymous with death-defying stunts as it is with the iconic theme tune, and clearly Mission: Impossible 7 will be no different. Director Christopher McQuarrie has shared an image which once again demonstrates the commitment of returning star Tom Cruise (as well as his sheer love of putting his life on the line for our entertainment) and shows the actor hanging from the side of a moving train.

"What would Mission be without a bit of local color?" McQuarrie wrote alongside the image. "Our sincerest thanks to North Yorkshire Moors Railway, the Office for Road and Rail, Eddie Draper, Riley's & GB Rail Freight and, of course, the incredibly lovely and welcoming people of Levisham. We had an amazing week (and remarkably fair weather) in fabulous Yorkshire. We'll be back for one last bit of mischief in short order."

Tom Cruisehas put his life in danger in all manner of imaginative ways for the Mission: Impossibleseries, and while hanging from a train may not seem as extreme as that time he clung to the side of a plane as it took off, this will be far from the only stunt involving the actor in the upcoming seventh installment. Footage from behind-the-scenes has already teased what occurs when Cruise's Agent Hunt climbs atop the moving train, with the action hero dispatching bad guys left and right while trying not to lose his balance. Earlier footage has also shown Cruise on a motorcycle hurtling towards an elevated ramp at full speed before flying off the end into the abyss. Letting the motorcycle plummet to the ground, Cruise then releases a parachute at the last minute, lands safely, and gives a big thumbs up while the spectators attempt to catch their breath.

Cruise's laidback attitude to almost dying has even become something of a problem when filming, with the actor revealing that he often can't stop smiling. "I am a very physical actor and I love doing them. I study and train and take a lot of time figuring it all out," Cruise said during a recent interview with Graham Norton. "I have broken a lot of bones! The first time of any stunt is nerve-wracking, but it's also exhilarating. I have been told a few times during shooting a stunt to stop smiling!" Being so happy about potentially dying is surely a red flag, but his dedication certainly makes for brilliant action cinema.

Plot details for the next installments in the long-running franchise are currently under wraps, but director Christopher McQuarrie has previously teased that bothMission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8will bring Ethan Hunt's story to an end, while also teasing that the sequels will take Hunt back to the beginning, as well as provide a much more emotional journey for the seemingly indestructible action hero.

Starring Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Angela Bassett and Frederick Schmidt, all of whom reprise their roles from the previous movies, along with Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales, Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell, Indira Varma, Mark Gatiss, and Cary Elwes, Mission: Impossible 7 is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 27, 2022, by Paramount Pictures, followed by a streaming release on Paramount+ on July 2022.