EXCLUSIVE: Tom V Don! Why Hollywood Superstar Cruise's Dream of Shooting Movie in Space Has Been Sent Crashing to Earth by Trump
Tom Cruise nixed asking President Donald Trump for a favor, which doomed his dream to film in outer space.
Jan. 20 2026, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
Top Gun hunk Tom Cruise nixed asking President Donald Trump for a favor – dooming his dream to film in outer space, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Insiders said the Mission: Impossible star balked at working with NASA since complicated and dangerous scenes filmed in outer space required a green light from the White House.
Politics Stalled Space Movie
Donald Trump was never asked for approval after Tom Cruise declined to seek White House backing for filming a movie in space.
"Tom didn't want to ask for political reasons," shared an insider.
"From what I understand, they would need NASA coordination to do the movie, and supposedly Tom Cruise did not want to ask Donald Trump for a favor.
"You'd need permission from the federal government."
Back in 2020, news of the ambitious film project seemed like a done deal when then NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine crowed about it in a tweet.
"NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA's ambitious plans a reality," he wrote.
But one Hollywood insider told RadarOnline.com Cruise – who's stayed out of politics over the years – is a bit of a snob when it comes to making movies.
Cruise Needs Total Control
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine publicly backed the space project in 2020 before political approval became an obstacle.
"Tom Cruise is a control freak. Psychologically, he wants to run everything, and he doesn't want anyone telling him what to do," the insider told RadarOnline.com.
"On the surface, he pretends to be a very congenial and easygoing guy. But he has a big ego and deep down inside he wants control over every aspect of the films he produces or appears in."
The space film isn't the first time Cruise, who's licking his wounds after breaking up with Cuban spitfire Ana de Armas, has dodged crossing paths with Trump – apparently in an effort to avoid alienating fans.
Trump Mocks Cruise’s Height
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Ana de Armas was identified as Cruise's recent ex-girlfriend, with reports saying he avoided crossing paths with Trump after their breakup.
Citing a scheduling conflict, Cruise politely turned down Trump's invitation to receive a 2025 Kennedy Center Honor.
Shortly after that, Trump took a jab at the Edge of Tomorrow star's 5-foot-7 height while complimenting the B-2 bomber pilots that wiped out Iran's nuclear facilities in June.
While calling the pilots "perfect specimens" who resembled Cruise, Trump cracked, "They really do. I don't want to be a wise guy and say, but taller. I'm not gonna say that."
