Mission: Impossible stars reveal joy over filming at new Abu Dhabi airport terminal


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

The joy of the Mission: Impossible franchise is the larger-than-life action sequences – and the even more impressive locations they take place in.

One of the most recent arrives in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. The Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport – seen in public for the first time during the latest instalment – takes centre stage. With its colossal lantern-like chandeliers, curving ceiling beams, blooming pillars and latticed walls that bring to mind traditional mashrabiyas, the terminal certainly serves as a photogenic backdrop.

However, director Christopher McQuarrie says the team had the unique difficulty of making the terminal – which was still in construction when the cast and crew arrived in 2021 – look like a fully functioning airport.

Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise with director Christopher McQuarrie. Photo: Abu Dhabi Film Commission
Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise with director Christopher McQuarrie. Photo: Abu Dhabi Film Commission

“It was extremely challenging,” McQuarrie says. “We were shooting in an airport that had to look like a very busy airport. That involved lots of supporting actors, I think it was about 150 in total, not to mention all the crew.”

To make matters more taxing, filming was taking place at the height of the pandemic when social distancing measures and safety protocols were in place. Abu Dhabi was not initially pegged as a location for the new Mission: Impossible, but as Covid restrictions began to grip the world, the crew found the emirate to be somewhere they could continue filming while abiding by safety measures.

“We had to cut at one point because I walked into a shot still wearing my mask,” Simon Pegg, who plays field agent Benji Dunn in the blockbuster franchise, says. “I was so used to wearing my mask that the scene started and Benji walked in [with his mask on].”

  • Tom Cruise speaks during the premiere of Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Tom Cruise speaks during the premiere of Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Fans take photos with Cruise
    Fans take photos with Cruise
  • Actress Pom Klementieff speaks at the event
    Actress Pom Klementieff speaks at the event
  • A fan hugs actor Simon Pegg
    A fan hugs actor Simon Pegg
  • Cruise raved about Abu Dhabi as a filming location
    Cruise raved about Abu Dhabi as a filming location
  • Excited fans wait for the stars of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One to arrive
    Excited fans wait for the stars of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One to arrive
  • Fans take photos with Cruise
    Fans take photos with Cruise
  • English actor Pegg points at fans
    English actor Pegg points at fans
  • Cruise signs autographs on the red carpet
    Cruise signs autographs on the red carpet
  • From left, cast members Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Cruise, Klementieff and director Christopher McQuarrie
    From left, cast members Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Cruise, Klementieff and director Christopher McQuarrie
  • Fans take photos with Cruise
    Fans take photos with Cruise
  • Klementieff on the red carpet
    Klementieff on the red carpet
  • Cruise waves to fans
    Cruise waves to fans
  • Pegg and Atwell interact with fans
    Pegg and Atwell interact with fans
  • Director McQuarrie on the red carpet
    Director McQuarrie on the red carpet
  • Cruise speaks to media
    Cruise speaks to media
  • Actress Atwell on the red carpet
    Actress Atwell on the red carpet
  • Cruise signs autographs on the red carpet
    Cruise signs autographs on the red carpet

A key scene filmed in the terminal involves Pegg's character scuffling to find a bomb hidden in a case that is making its rounds within the labyrinthine baggage distribution network.

“I was completely flabbergasted by it,” Pegg says. “It’s just this incredible network of conveyor belts and ladders. When we got back to London, we had to recreate a little corner of it to shoot the scenes that are slightly more close up. But what a fun thing, to have an entire airport to ourselves. It was great.”

“Unprecedented,” McQuarrie adds.

It is the third time the film franchise has been filmed in the UAE. The first was for Ghost Protocol. Released in 2011, the box office hit features what is arguably Cruise's most famous stunt, where he scales Dubai's Burj Khalifa.

Cruise later visited Abu Dhabi to film a scene where he performed a Halo (high altitude low opening) jump over the dunes for 2018's Fallout.

Filming for Dead Reckoning took place in the UAE capital over 15 days in 2021, with locations in the Liwa desert and Midfield Terminal.

Cruise brought star power to the soon-to-open terminal. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media office
Cruise brought star power to the soon-to-open terminal. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media office

The terminal is where one of franchise’s new main characters is introduced. Hayley Atwell plays the mysterious Grace, a light-fingered accomplice who becomes embroiled in Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) mission to save the world from a sentient and nefarious artificial intelligence system.

Grace, Atwell says, was still undefined when she was cast and the American-British actress was pivotal in building her character.

“The character didn’t exist at first,” Atwell says. “Tom [Cruise] and McQuarrie look for actors they want to work with and then the character is a collaborative effort that comes out of the work. You’re also finding it in the moment as well as in preparation for it.”

Hayley Atwell plays the mysterious Grace. Photo: Abu Dhabi Film Commission
Hayley Atwell plays the mysterious Grace. Photo: Abu Dhabi Film Commission

Coming from a background in theatre, Atwell says she has become accustomed to experimenting in a rehearsal space with the identity and body language of a character before “landing on the one thing that you feel is the most useful for the play".

“When I came into the screen test, it wasn’t entirely clear who she would be," she says. "They were seeing what was landing on film and what qualities seemed to be the most interesting and alive that could fit into this world.

"We had five months of training to find out her physical fighting style, but also developing the skill of drifting in a race car so that by the time I came on set, I was safe enough to make sure that I could do it well with Tom and with enough freedom that we could improvise and create little moments of character.”

Pom Klementieff plays the assassin Paris in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One. Photo: Abu Dhabi Film Commission
Pom Klementieff plays the assassin Paris in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One. Photo: Abu Dhabi Film Commission

Another character making her debut in the franchise is Pom Klementieff’s Paris. The Guardians of the Galaxy star takes on the role of a ruthless assassin, who, as the film progresses, displays a more affable side to her.

Like Atwell, Klementieff worked to build Paris’s persona almost from the ground up, having regular conversations with Cruise and McQuarrie about how to embody the character.

Giving a snippet of what conversations were like, Klementieff says: “I was trying to find the fight style of the character. Sometimes it would be things like: ‘Oh, I would love to kick. I love kicking,’ so we have to have an entire outfit that allows you to do that. Or: ‘Oh, what about a kilt? Yeah, a kilt is cool.’ We improvised a lot.

"Working on this specific character, it’s more about behaviour and movement than actual words. But then there are words in the end, so when the character speaks, you actually really listen. You see a side of the character that is completely different than what you’ve seen before.”

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is out in UAE cinemas on July 9, three days before its US and global rollout on July 12.

Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
65
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EScott%20Beck%2C%20Bryan%20Woods%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdam%20Driver%2C%20Ariana%20Greenblatt%2C%20Chloe%20Coleman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to donate

Text the following numbers:

2289 - Dh10

6025 - Dh 20

2252 - Dh 50

2208 - Dh 100

6020 - Dh 200 

*numbers work for both Etisalat and du

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries

Asian Cup 2019

Quarter-final

UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

SUE%20GRAY'S%20FINDINGS
%3Cp%3E%22Whatever%20the%20initial%20intent%2C%20what%20took%20place%20at%20many%20of%20these%20gatherings%20and%20the%3Cbr%3Eway%20in%20which%20they%20developed%20was%20not%20in%20line%20with%20Covid%20guidance%20at%20the%20time.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22Many%20of%20these%20events%20should%20not%20have%20been%20allowed%20to%20happen.%20It%20is%20also%20the%20case%20that%20some%20of%20the%3Cbr%3Emore%20junior%20civil%20servants%20believed%20that%20their%20involvement%20in%20some%20of%20these%20events%20was%20permitted%20given%20the%20attendance%20of%20senior%20leaders.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22The%20senior%20leadership%20at%20the%20centre%2C%20both%20political%20and%20official%2C%20must%20bear%20responsibility%20for%20this%20culture.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20found%20that%20some%20staff%20had%20witnessed%20or%20been%20subjected%20to%20behaviours%20at%20work%20which%20they%20had%20felt%20concerned%20about%20but%20at%20times%20felt%20unable%20to%20raise%20properly.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20was%20made%20aware%20of%20multiple%20examples%20of%20a%20lack%20of%20respect%20and%20poor%20treatment%20of%20security%20and%20cleaning%20staff.%20This%20was%20unacceptable.%22%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
List of officials:

Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.

'Nope'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jordan%20Peele%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Daniel%20Kaluuya%2C%20Keke%20Palmer%2C%20Brandon%20Perea%2C%20Steven%20Yeun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Updated: July 04, 2023, 12:46 PM