Los Angeles, Jul 14 (IANS): Hollywood star Tom Cruise has been "working diligently" on his planned movie spacewalk. 

The 61-year-old actor was previously revealed to be working with his "Edge of Tomorrow" director Doug Liman on a film set outside of the Earth's surface, and he's confirmed the project going ahead, though there isn't a production start date set yet, reports aceshowbiz.com.

He told Variety: "We've been working on it diligently and we'll see where we go." Movie bosses revealed last year it was hoped the "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" star would make history by being blasted into space for the film.

Universal Pictures chair Dame Donna Langley told the BBC: "We have a great project in development with Tom that does contemplate him taking a rocket to the Space Station. And hopefully he will become the first civilian to do a space walk outside of the International Space Station. He will play a down-on-his-luck guy who finds himself in the position of being the only person who could save Earth."

Plans for the movie first emerged in 2020 with Elon Musk's SpaceX and NASA both involved in the project. Doug revealed in 2021 that he has "more confidence" about making a movie in space after shooting "Locked Down" in a deserted London amid the pandemic.

'The Bourne Identity' director said: "It connects to 'Locked Down' because the same producer who a year ago came to me and said how would you like to try to shoot a movie in outer space? That's PJ van Sandwijk, and he's the same person who said to Steve Knight and myself on July 1, what about you guys writing a movie for us to shoot in September? But here's the thing.

"When a producer proposes something crazy to you, like, let's try to shoot a movie in outer space, and NASA and SpaceX sign on, and Tom Cruise signs on…you're just a little bit more receptive when that same producer says I got another crazy idea, and that became 'Locked Down'."