Humidity is expected to range between 10 per cent and 75 per cent today
The UAE highly values innovation and creativity as key catalysts that enrich the human experience, said His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on the occasion of the completion of location filming of Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol in Dubai. He also stated that Dubai spares no effort in supporting innovation in various fields of cultural life, including cinema.
Shaikh Mohammed’s statement came during a meeting late last week with stars and crew of the Hollywood movie. The team wrapped up almost a month of shooting in Dubai, the longest period the team has stayed among other cities to be featured in the film.
The star of the movie Tom Cruise, director Brad Bird and producers Jeffrey Chernov and Bryan Burk, expressed sincere thanks and gratitude on behalf of their team to Shaikh Mohammed for the warm reception and generosity they found in Dubai throughout their stay. They also praised the ultimate cooperation extended by various Dubai government departments, which made their mission ‘possible’ without any hurdles or delays.
The meeting with the Mission Impossible team was attended by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group; and Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
As a token of appreciation to Dubai and its Ruler, the film team handed Shaikh Mohammed memorial gifts — a “clapper board” carrying signatures of the stars and makers of the film and a director’s chair with Shaikh Mohammed’s name written on it. A similar token gift was presented to Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, showing gratitude for Dubai’s generous hospitality.
Concluding their successful trip to Dubai, the team said that government support, reliable infrastructure, cultural diversity and rich variety of shooting locations make the emirate a sought-after destination for international industry professionals aspiring for new filming locations around the globe.
The three previous films in the Mission: Impossible series have together generated revenues exceeding $1.4 billion worldwide.
The movie may be called Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol but its star is real. Tom Cruise came, saw and we all concurred that as a backdrop he was right. Dubai was perfect as a locale.
Tom is not a tall man and that explains why the blockbuster star and moviemaker has a thing for heights.
Over the last few days media and adoring fans all over the world have been gushing over his death-defying (yet another one!) feat, dangling on a wire strap above the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which stands at a vertigo-inducing 2,717 feet. As if to prove the point, Tom was suddenly seen careening past the iconic skyline, concentrating on doing some pretty dare-devilish stunts against the façade of the Burj Khalifa and a few days later surprised some lucky residents and tourists by thundering down the main DIFC street in a chase sequence.
We don’t know why anyone should be surprised at this tall act — he did, after all, propose to his then new girlfriend and current wife Katie Holmes, atop the Eiffel Tower, isn’t it?
Last week, Cruise and his crew were spotted shooting in Satwa.
Cruise has been rated as one of Hollywood’s most powerful and richest celebrity and his films, including those death-defying stunts as Ethan Hunt bringing criminals to justice have grossed over $6.5 billion worldwide, at last count in 2009.
Cruise has, during his stay in Dubai, occasionally let his hair down with the film’s crew. Only the other day he was out go-karting with several of the film’s crew, including British actor Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner. Later, the guys wrapped up the night like every man we know, with a treat of burgers and fries!
The film will take some before it hits the screens and who knows, it may even have its world premier in the Dubai.
We can only hope we will see Tom Cruise returning and walking the red carpet on the opening day. That would be just desserts for thousands of his fans in the UAE. - By Patrick Michael
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