Leave it to Tom Cruise to bring a long-running internet joke to life in the most dramatic fashion. Many fans of the Mission Impossible franchise have noted the increasingly over-the-top stunts the action series indulges in, and joked that the only way for Cruise to outdo himself with the next one is to set it in space. And now, according to Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr., that is exactly what Cruise intends to for his next film, with a little help from entrepreneur and real-life Tony Stark Elon Musk:

I'm hearing that Tom Cruise and Elon Musk's SpaceX are working on a project with NASA that would be the first narrative feature film - an action adventure - to be shot in outer space. It's not a Mission: Impossible film and no studio is in the mix at this stage but look for more news as I get it. But this is real, albeit in the early stages of liftoff.

There is no official confirmation of the report so far, but if there is an actor who could pull off actually going into space to shoot an action film, it is Cruise, who has made a career out of upping the ante with each new film in his quest to bring authentic action sequences before audiences.

The Mission Impossible films are basically a series of action montages held together by a wafer-thin plotline, showcasing Cruise scaling the Burj Khalia, climbing a mountain with no gear, hanging off the outside of a plane, and all other manners of dangerous activities that the actor does for real instead of using stunt doubles or green screens.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has long made his fondness for film and television known with various cameos and small parts. He met Tony Stark at a party in Iron Man 2, showed up in an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and lent his voice to the character of Elon Tusk in Rick and Morty.

Both men are considered pioneers and risk-takers in their field, and it makes a certain amount of sense to hear of the two banding together to bring audiences a new kind of cinematic experience that has never been seen before. Although movies set in space in the past have taken great pains to add a level of authenticity to their scenes, it is impossible to perfectly capture the effects of zero gravity thousands of miles away from Earth unless you actually go to space.

Time will reveal whether Tom Cruise's collaboration with Elon Musk actually comes to fruition, although judging by the current conditions sweeping the planet and enforcing a lockdown on most nations, space may well be the only truly safe place left to shoot a movie. For now, Tom Cruise's next film in the Mission Impossible franchise is gearing up to resume production, with possible changes to the script to keep the action centered around America where the production house can better ensure the safety of the cast and crew.