Tom Cruise faces Mission Impossible to land 30 helicopters on remote Norwegian territory for filming as governor warns it will disturb polar bears on Arctic archipelago

• The governor of Svalbard refused production company PolarX’s request to land the choppers on an Arctic archipelago because it will disturb local wildlife
• Local environment leader Kristin Heggelund said that the territory, which is 600 miles from the North Pole, is aiming to ‘preserve an untouched environment’

Tom Cruise must convince authorities governing the world’s ‘polar bear capital’ that he won’t disturb the Arctic wildlife when he lands 30 helicopters for a Mission Impossible shoot.

The Hollywood star is looking to film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two in Svalbard, Norway.

Lars Fause, the governor of Svalbard, refused production company PolarX’s request to land the choppers on an Arctic archipelago because it will disturb wildlife in the local area.

Local environment leader Kristin Heggelund said that the territory, which is 600 miles from the North Pole, is aiming to ‘preserve a virtually untouched environment’.

‘All passage in Svalbard shall take place in a way that does not result in unnecessary disturbance to humans or animals,’ she said, The Telegraph reported. 

Tom Cruise (pictured, file photo) must convince authorities governing the world’s ‘polar bear capital’ that he won’t disturb the Arctic wildlife when he lands 30 helicopters for a Mission Impossible shoot

The Hollywood star is looking to film in Svalbard, Norway (pictured, file photo) for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two in Svalbard, Norway

The polar night happens for four months of the year on Svalbard, as the earth rotates on a tilted axis, pushing it away from the direction of the sun – and plunging it into darkness. 

The Arctic metropolis of Longyearbyen, located at latitude 78˚ North, has around only 2,400 residents and is home to even more polar bears, polar dogs and reindeer. 

An estimated 3,000 polar bears live on the territory, while residents live mainly in the capital of Longyearbyen. 

It is one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas and known for the rugged and remote terrain of glaciers. 

The culture minister for Norway has also blocked the parliamentary grant which production companies would usually receive for filming in the country.

Cruise even missed Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony for the sake of filming for the latest Mission Impossible installment.

His film, Top Gun: Maverick, took home the Academy Award for Best Sound, and was credited for saving cinema by Steven Spielberg.

Variety reported earlier this month that Cruise was filming part of Dead Reckoning Part Two aboard a carrier. 

In addition to directing both upcoming entries in the Mission: Impossible series, McQuarrie is also writing and producing them.

He has been a regular collaborator of Cruise’s since he wrote his 2008 WWII thriller Valkyrie, and he joined the franchise with the fifth film in the series, 2015’s Rogue Nation.

Cruise will return to the big screen for the July 14 debut of Dead Reckoning Part One.

Fans of the blockbuster series won’t have to wait long for the conclusion of the two-part film, as Part Two is expected to be released in June of 2024.

Lars Fause, the governor of Svalbard, refused production company PolarX’s request to land the choppers on an Arctic archipelago because it will disturb wildlife in the local area

Cruiseeven missed Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony for the sake of filming for the latest Mission Impossible installment. His film, Top Gun: Maverick (pictured in the film), took home the Academy Award for Best Sound, and was credited for saving cinema by Steven Spielberg

The first film will feature newcomers including Hayley Atwell, Guardians Of The Galaxy star Pom Klementieff, The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes, Catastrophe’s Rob Delaney, Shea Wigham and Charles Parnell, who appeared with Cruise in his massive hit Top Gun: Maverick.

Their latest filming location of Svalbard has proven popular amongst Hollywood producers as it has been the backdrop to films including Bond blockbuster Die Another Day in 2002. 

Having worked in Svalbard and with Cruise in the past, helicopter stunt pilot Marc Wolff told The Times that the actor prefers helicopters to snowmobiles.

He said: ‘But it’s something we have to take into consideration nowadays, the noise and disturbance to wildlife in terms of helicopters.

‘It’s the polar bear capital of the world. Sometimes there’s certain breeding that takes place at times of the year that they don’t want to disturb. It’s springtime now so they’re just coming out of hibernation.’

MailOnline has contacted PolarX production company for comment. 

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