"Mission: Impossible 8" star Tom Cruise sets Guinness World Record for burning parachute

Even by Tom Cruise's standards, this is a new dimension: The 62-year-old action star secured an official Guinness World Record during the filming of "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" – for 16 parachute jumps with a burning parachute, reports the US magazine "Variety." The spectacular footage was shot for the film's final airplane sequence, as can be seen in an official behind-the-scenes video from the film's producing studio, Paramount .

The video clip for the daring record shows Cruise literally playing with his life. The athletic Hollywood star repeatedly tested boundaries for the "Mission: Impossible" films. The footage shows the actor jumping out of a plane while his parachute is ablaze. What appears to be a death sentence was apparently just another day at the office for the "Top Gun" star.

"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" will most likely be Cruise's final appearance as secret agent Ethan Hunt. This would mean the fiery parachute jump would have been his last stunt in the 29-year-old film series. But when Cruise was asked about his future with the franchise at the Cannes Film Festival, he remained typically tight-lipped.

"I'd rather people see the film and enjoy it. We had a great time filming it and it was a lot of fun," the actor explained evasively. "Enjoy it and know that everything has been leading up to this moment."

The effort paid off: "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" opened with a bang in North American cinemas over the long Memorial Day weekend, setting a new franchise record with $200 million in opening box office revenue, and currently has $360 million at the worldwide box office.

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