A scene from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Abu Dhabi will host the Middle East premiere of the eagerly-awaited Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One at a red-carpet event at Emirates Palace on June 26 to be attended by the movie’s cast and crew, including star Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie. Both the breathtaking landscape of the Liwa desert and the iconic Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal were used as locations for Paramount Pictures’ movie thanks to the support of Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC), part of the Creative Media Authority.

The complexity of the shoot – which included building an Arabian village in the desert and multiple sets at the terminal – required a collaborative effort from multiple businesses and entities across Abu Dhabi, including twofour54 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Airports (AD Airports) and Etihad Airways, the official airline partner of the film. It is the second time the Mission Impossible franchise has filmed in Abu Dhabi, following the jaw-dropping HALO jump sequence that was shot in Abu Dhabi for 2018’s Mission: Impossible - Fallout, again with the support of ADFC, twofour54 and the UAE military.

Along with Tom Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie, the other stars of the film due to attend the Middle East premiere later this month are Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Simon Pegg. Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Acting Director General of Creative Media Authority, said, "Hosting the premiere of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is an honour for Abu Dhabi and is also a reflection of the position the emirate holds as one of MENA’s top film and TV locations. We are proud to have worked with such a genre-defining franchise once again and it demonstrates how Abu Dhabi has everything filmmakers need to successfully complete such large, complex productions.”

It was the success of shooting Mission Impossible: Fallout in Abu Dhabi that convinced Paramount Pictures to turn to ADFC again to help them complete another ‘Impossible Mission’ – this time sourcing an airport terminal and a desert landscape that would truly elevate the production. The Commission supported the team by securing approvals and permits for the shoot at both the Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal and in Liwa, liaising closely with multiple stakeholders and Abu Dhabi government entities.

After more than a year of planning, filming took place in Abu Dhabi in 2021 over 15 days at the height of the pandemic, yet there was no disruption caused by COVID-19 thanks to the ADFC protocols put in place in Abu Dhabi. Apart from building the sets in Liwa and at the Midfield Terminal, the production team also shot on the roof of the 742,000sqm terminal, the longest single standing arch in the world at 180m.

The shoot also benefited from ADFC’s 30% cashback rebate and was supported by numerous other Abu Dhabi-based companies, specialist suppliers, 125 local freelance crew and 250 local extras. Meanwhile, twofour54 supported the Mission Impossible team with full production services, and, through its Tawasol team, also secured shooting permits and managed applications for the other government services needed to ensure a smooth and seamless production.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is among the 140 major productions to have shot in Abu Dhabi in the past 10 years, from companies including Disney, Netflix, Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures. Films include Dune and Dune 2, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 6 Underground and Furious 7, apart from Bollywood hits such as Vikram Vedha, Tiger Zinda Hai and Bharat.

WAM