Tom Cruise stuns fans by gatecrashing event at Cannes Film Festival

The Mission Impossible star’s been very busy lately – but he still had time to make a very unscheduled cameo at a Cannes event.

When it comes to A-list cameos, they don’t get much bigger than this.

Tom Cruise delighted fans and members of the press with an impromptu appearance at a masterclass featuring his longtime collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie, at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.

Cruise was a surprise guest at an event in Cannes. Picture: X

The director was about 20 minutes into his scheduled Q&A when Cruise, 62, showed up unannounced – and just hours before the long-awaited festival premiere of Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning.

The actor was full of praise for McQuarrie, telling the audience: “He doesn’t just write for me. He’s able to come in and write for the actor.”

He grinned for photographers ahead of a press shoot on Wednesday in Cannes. Picture: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP

McQuarrie, who has directed the last four Mission Impossible films, including The Final Reckoning, joked about how Cruise refuses to take “no” for an answer when planning wild film stunts.

“Tom said, ‘I want to be zero G in between the wings of the plane,’” the director said, prompting laughter from Cruise.

“And these people who do this for a living and are part of a decades-long tradition, said, ‘No, you’re not going to do that. And Tom said, ‘Thank you for your time.’ And we went on to some other people.”

The actor is known for his death-defying stunts – and there are plenty more to come in Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. Picture: Paramount Pictures

The pair also refused to be drawn on speculation about whether their latest M: I offering will be the last ever.

“I’d rather just people see it and enjoy and we’ve had an amazing time doing it and it’s been a lot of fun and I just want you all to enjoy it,” Cruise said.

Pom Klementieff with McQuarrie and Cruise upon arrival at the premiere of the film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in Cannes. Picture: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP

Cruise and McQuarrie were joined just hours later by the rest of the Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning cast on the red carpet, ahead of the high-profile premiere at the glitzy Grand Théâtre Lumière in the heart of Cannes.

Hundreds of fans turned out to catch a glimpse of the star-studded line-up, cramming into the area surrounding the iconic venue’s staircase.

Hayley Atwell with Cruise, Klementieff and Simon Pegg. Picture: Valery Hache/AFP

Cruise has spent decades immersed in the franchise, and was clearly touched at the outpouring of support from those gathered outside the premiere in Cannes.

The actor, who has been on a media blitz recently ahead of the film’s release, stopped to sign autographs and pose for numerous selfies with fans as he made his way into the screening.

Cruise appeared to be touched by the outpouring of support. Picture: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP

The latest instalment in the M: I franchise picks up a few months after the events of the previous film, Dead Reckoning, and sees Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the Impossible Mission Force in a race against time to stop assassin Gabriel (Esai Morales) from obtaining the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence which can be used to destroy the world.

The cast and crew wave to the crowd below from the top of the stairs. Picture: Antonin Thuillier/AFP

As well as Cruise, it stars returning cast members Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Angela Bassett, Hayley Atwell, Henry Czerny and Pom Klementieff.

Filming began in March 2022 in the UK, but had to be halted the following year due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Production resumed in March 2024 and wrapped up in November.

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning will be in Australian cinemas from May 17.

Originally published as Tom Cruise stuns fans by gatecrashing event at Cannes Film Festival