Dubai: Mission accomplished: Cruise is coming to Dubai and he's bringing the highly-anticipated film he made here with him.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol will enjoy its first screening to the world's media and public as the opening night gala of the eighth Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).
Cruise enthralled the world for six weeks last autumn as he filmed the fourth instalment in his successful franchise, performing stunt after crazy stunt on some of Dubai's most famous landmarks, including the outside of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Red Carpet
The American superstar will walk the red carpet on December 7, alongside director Brad Bird and co-stars Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Lea Seydoux, and Bollywood star Anil Kapoor.
While before DIFF may have had a large regional draw this truly catapults the festival to an all-new international platform, as the world's media are expected to jet in for the big event.
Abdulhamid Juma, Chairman of the Dubai International Film Festival, said: "Dubai and the UAE are the ‘Mission: Possible' of the Arab world, so this link is particularly fitting. On behalf of the people of our amazing city and nation, we thank Paramount Pictures and the Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol producers for showing the world the contemporary, successful and diverse Arab world. We are also grateful to them, Four Star and Gulf Film for choosing to bring this remarkable film to DIFF."
Bumper three days
A bumper three days of media screenings, cast interviews, press conferences and photo calls will culminate in a red carpet screening of the movie. COntrary to media reports, Dubai will the first public screening of the film, while a private "fan screening" is due to take place earlier in Mumbai.
The city will also reprise its own starring role when the film opens at the festival as much of the movie was filmed in the Emirate last November.
Incredible stunt sequences feature throughout the movie, including the now iconic scene of Cruise scaling the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa.
Key scenes filmed around Dubai
Other key scenes were filmed at the Dubai International Financial Centre, Media Production Zone, Satwa and The Palace Hotel, Downtown.
"We await with great excitement the return of the Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol filmmakers, crew, and talent to Dubai in December," said Ahmad Abdulla Al Shaikh, Director General of the Dubai Government Media Office.
Mark of trust
"Dubai's continuing relationship with the film is a mark of trust in Dubai's world-class infrastructure, capabilities and leadership. This relationship is a point of pride not only for the emirate but for the region as a whole."
In recent weeks, snippets about the content of the film have emerged, teasing fans about exactly how Dubai will feature in the film and what the Ghost Protocol is all about. Firstly, the poster, which shows a dark side to Tom Cruise's character Ethan Hunt and his IMF team.
Hooded and brooding
Cruise is shown hooded and brooding, backed up by Patton, Pegg and that other major character, Dubai's own Burj Khalifa. Also in the shot is MI newbie Jeremy Renner, who will not be attending the premiere.
In a trailer released for the film, it emerges that he plays a character whose allegiances are unclear. The suited and booted team of secret agents appear to be caught in a sandstorm, and in the film, they are caught up in something even worse.
When his team is implicated in a bombing at the Kremlin, Hunt and the IMF are disavowed, and have to go rogue to clear their names. Their challenge is summed up in the poster's tagline: No plan. No backup. No choice.
