Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Sport
RFI

Tom Cruise rumoured to perform stunt at Olympics closing ceremony

Tom Cruise on the set of Mission Impossible 6 in Paris in 2018. Paramount Pictures Corporation

With Tom Cruise widely predicted to engage in a death-defying stunt on the roof of the Stade de France, Sunday's Paris Olympics closing ceremony promises a memorable passing of the five rings flag to Los Angeles.

Two weeks after the unprecedented complexity of the opening ceremony along the River Seine, there are big expectations for the show to wrap up the Games.

The closing ceremony will be a much shorter affair and will take place, in more traditional fashion, at France's national stadium.

Artistic director Thomas Jolly has revealed it will combine "wonder" with "dystopia", suggesting some darker elements than the joyful and impertinent tone of the opening ceremony that drew a record audience of more than a billion worldwide.

Lady Gaga performs in Paris, France, ahead the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. © Luca Bruno / AP

Offering a sneak peak to journalists recently, Jolly said he saw the Games as a "fragile monument" and wanted to imagine what would happen if they "disappeared and someone was rebuilding them in a distant future".

One sequence features "travellers from another space-time who arrive on Earth and discover vestiges from the history of the Olympics", with acrobats restoring the famous five rings of the Games.

It will reportedly feature more than 100 dancers, circus artists and other performers, with the promise of aerial displays, giant sets and spectacular lighting.

Destination Hollywood

The opening ceremony featured some huge stars including Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and Aya Nakamura, and some big celebrities are also expected Sunday.

Aya Nakamura performs during the opening ceremony. AFP - ESA ALEXANDER

Cruise has been at several Olympic events and the most daredevil of Hollywood stars would be a natural connection between Paris and the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

US media have reported that Cruise has been preparing a spectacular stunt to pick up the Olympic flag and transfer it to LA, with video sequences already filmed on both sides of the Atlantic.

'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony

There have been no shortage of Hollywood stars in attendance for the Games who might also play a role, including Snoop Dogg, Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling and Sharon Stone.

There are unconfirmed rumours that Beyonce, a fervent supporter of the US team on social media, may perform.

Beyonce accepts the award for best dance/electronic music album for "Renaissance" at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP - Chris Pizzello

French touch

Two of France's biggest musical exports, Phoenix and Air, are already lined up to play, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

Despite insistent rumours, the electro group Daft Punk will not perform, according to the musical director of the Olympic ceremonies, Victor Le Masne.

But he said the closing ceremony would be as equally ambitious as the opening.

"It's the same team. We worked on the four ceremonies at the same time. They won't be the same emotions, it's the end of the Olympic Games. It's also the athletes' party. They're not the same emotional springs," he said.

Paris Olympic opening creator rebuffs anti-Christian criticism

Organisers will be anxious to avoid a repeat of the controversy sparked by the opening ceremony, which featured drag queens in a sequence that some Christians and conservatives thought mocked the Biblical story of the Last Supper.

The artistic director insisted it was a reference to Greek gods. But Jolly and other members of the team have since been victims of social media harassment, triggering police investigations and condemnation from French President Emmanuel Macron.

(with newswires)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.