Tom Cruise made a six-hour "film school" movie that will never be released: "This is just for my friends"

Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Ever wanted to attend Tom Cruise film school? Well, Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick co-star Glen Powell did just that when he was invited to watch a six-hour movie the actor had put together with everything he's learned about filmmaking. 

Powell told GQ that Cruise sent him to watch the movie alone in a theater in LA, which reportedly involves Cruise speaking directly to camera as he breaks down his knowledge of the industry. He has no intention of making the film public, either. "He said, 'This is just for my friends,'" Powell said.

He went on to describe the movie, saying, "[Cruise] is like: 'Do we all agree that this is what a camera is? This is the difference between a film camera and a digital camera…' The funniest part is on flying. It was like he put together this entire flight school. So he would literally go 'OK, this is what a plane is. Here’s how things fly. Here’s how air pressure works.'"

Both Powell and Cruise took to the skies in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick, which saw Cruise return as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and Powell play Lieutenant Jake "Hangman" Seresin. 

Powell, who also recently starred in action comedy Hit Man and rom-com Anyone But You, can next be seen in new disaster movie Twisters alongside Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones, In the Heights' Anthony Ramos, Love Lies Bleeding's Katy O'Brian, and future Superman David Corenswet.

Twister arrives on the big screen on July 19. While we wait, check out our guide to the rest of this year's biggest movie release dates at a glance. 

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

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