Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony: Is Tom Cruise Performing Deadly Stunts?

With a death-defying stunt widely predicted to be performed by Tom Cruise on the roof of the Stade de France, the Paris Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday promises a memorable passing of the five rings flag to Los Angeles.

Two weeks after the unprecedented complexity of the opening ceremony along the River Seine, big expectations are set for the show wrapping up the Games.

Is Tom Cruise Performing Deadly Stunts?

The closing ceremony will be a much shorter affair and will take place in a more traditional fashion at France's national stadium, as reported by NDTV. Artistic director Thomas Jolly has revealed that "wonder" will be combined with "dystopia", suggesting darker elements than the joyful and impertinent tone of the opening ceremony, which drew a record audience of more than a billion worldwide.

A sneak peek was recently offered to journalists, with Jolly explaining that the Games were seen as a "fragile monument", imagining what would happen if they "disappeared and someone was rebuilding them in a distant future". One sequence will feature "travelers from another space-time who arrive on Earth and discover vestiges from the history of the Olympics", with acrobats restoring the famous five rings of the Games, as per media reports.

More than 100 dancers, circus artists, and other performers will reportedly be featured, with the promise of aerial displays, giant sets, and spectacular lighting.

Destination Hollywood

Some huge stars, including Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, and Aya Nakamura, were featured in the opening ceremony, but some big celebrities are also expected on Sunday, as reported by NDTV. Cruise has been present at several Olympic events, and the most daredevil of Hollywood stars would be a natural connection between Paris and the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

US media have reported that a spectacular stunt to pick up the Olympic flag and transfer it to LA has been prepared by Cruise, with video sequences already filmed on both sides of the Atlantic. No shortage of Hollywood stars has been in attendance for the Games who might also play a role, including Snoop Dogg, Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling, and Sharon Stone.

There are unconfirmed rumours that Beyoncé, a fervent supporter of the US team on social media, may perform. Two of France's biggest musical exports, Air and Phoenix, are already lined up to play, according to Le Parisien newspaper. Organizers will be anxious to avoid a repeat of the controversy sparked by the opening ceremony, which featured drag queens in a sequence that some Christians and conservatives thought mocked the Biblical story of The Last Supper.

The sequence was insisted by organizers to be a reference to Greek gods. However, Jolly and other members of the team have since been victims of social media harassment, triggering police investigations and condemnation from French President Emmanuel Macron.