Tom Cruise-starrer movie producers ink deal with Axiom for outer space film studio

U.K.-based studio Space Entertainment Enterprise (SEE), which is producing Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise's upcoming space movie, has inked a deal with Axiom Space to build an in-orbit studio. Co-founded by producers Elena and Dmitry Lesnevsky, Axiom will build a module named SEE-1 which will be launched in 2024 and attached to the International Space Station (ISS). Apart from serving as a film studio, multiple media reports suggest that the module would also be used as an arena to host sporting events. Axiom president and CEO Michael Suffredini said in a press release as per CNBC-

Adding a dedicated entertainment venue to Axiom Station’s commercial capabilities in the form of SEE-1 will expand the station’s utility as a platform for a global user base and highlight the range of opportunities the new space economy offers.

It is worth mentioning that the Tom Cruise starrer action flick has not been titled yet although the movie's production has begun, Space Entertainment told CNBC. Multiple media reports suggest that NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX are also a part of the project, which would be the second movie in space. In October 2021, Russia became the first country to send a film crew into space when it launched Russian actress Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko to the space station. The duo had travelled to the ISS for a 12-day shoot of the movie named "Challenge". 

Features of the in-space film studio

As mentioned above, Axiom will launch a module, meaning a small capsule that can be joined together to construct a bigger infrastructure. The SEE-1 will be an inflatable structure having a 20-feet diameter which would join another Axiom module attached to the ISS. As for the financial details of the agreement, it is still under wraps along with the budget of Cruise's space movie. 

The company is working on multiple modules with the $140 million contract that it won for NASA for building the first private space module. Once the ISS retires in a few years, these modules will be conjoined to form a full-fledged private space station.