Tom Cruise Stars at Paris Olympics, Drives Flag to LA for 2028 Games

Tom Cruise swooped into the Paris Olympics today in a spectacular stunt straight out of Mission Impossible.

A fixture at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad since the July 26 Opening Ceremony, the Top Gun star proved the pivot point in Paris’ handover to Los Angeles 2028. Daniel Craig, the late Queen Elizabeth II, and London 2012 may disagree, but Cruise’s long anticipated stunt was full-on Hollywood.

Spotted on the rim of the Stade de France earlier as the two and a half hour and counting closing ceremony rocked with Phoenix and stage-invading athletes, Cruise’s descent came just after H.E.R.’s performance of the Star Spangled Banner. That soulful rendition of the national anthem was preceded by the Olympic flag being handed over to LA Mayor Karen Bass and Simone Biles.

“America, let’s go!” bellowed NBC’s Mike Tirico as the leather-jacket-wearing Cruise landed among the Olympic athletes. “That’s how you do it!” said Jimmy Fallon. Taking the flag from Mayor Bass and G.O.A.T. Biles, Cruise jumped on a nearby motorbike and cruised out of the stadium. It was then to a pre-recorded video of Cruise leaping out of a plane with a Red Hot Chili Peppers soundtrack to deliver the flag to LA.

As Deadline made clear on August 1, the stunt was one of the worst-kept secrets of the Games. In fact, in many ways, it would have been more of a shock if Cruise had not shown up.

No worries there, he truly did show up.

Source: Associated Press, Deadline