Tom Cruise to Skydive in Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony
Another planned stunt in Los Angeles that would have been part of the same 2028 handoff segment was scrapped over LAPD traffic concerns and California Coastal Commission permitting issues.
Cruise has attended the Paris games, for the women’s gymnastics qualifiers as well as swimming competitions. “It’s awesome,” he told Reuters. “Great stories, great athletes. It’s incredible what they have to do, the sense of accomplishment.”
It now is behind the L.A. segment, which mixes prerecorded and live elements.
An early plan involved large party at Will Rogers State Beach, where the handoff of the Olympic flag would occur.
This was scrapped due to LAPD concerns over extended Pacific Coast Highway shutdown and challenges to obtain necessary California Coastal Commission permitting.
Closing ceremonies have previously been the stage for celebrity spectacles.
At Beijing in 2008, Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis collaborated on performance of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” while atop a faux bus to London.
The 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games opening and closing ceremonies — produced by Roots mastermind David L. Wolper and key Walt Disney Co. creative executive Robert Jani — were notably Hollywood-driven spectacles, including performances by Lionel Richie, The Beach Boys and film composer John Williams.
