Tom Cruise sports blood-soaked shirt filming Mission Impossible as he sprints through central London

Tom Cruise was papped in a blood-soaked shirt filming Mission Impossible in the heart of London on Sunday.

The Hollywood star, 61, is reprising his role as field agent Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 2, which is due to be released next year. Spotted sprinting past the Houses of Parliament in Westminster last night, Tom brought all the drama, sporting a torn shirt, which was covered in blood, black slacks, trainers - and wild-looking hair.

Whitehall, Parliament Square, and Westminster Bridge were turned into a battleground for the filming as Ethan is chased by a relentless army and police force through the iconic locations. The tourist hot spot, which includes Big Ben clock tower, was cordoned off for the filming, with lights, cameras and policeman visible in the snaps.

Tom arrived in London in November before hopping into a helicopter to fly to filming for Mission Impossible 8. The Top Gun star was rocking a new highlighted hair-do for the flick as his luxurious locks were windswept from the chopper's blades.

He flew into the UK from Tampa, Florida, aboard his private jet before being photographed getting on the black helicopter that would take him to the set for the latest Mission Impossible instalment.

Tom was finally allowed to work on the film since the SAG-AFTRA strike ended last year, letting actors return to the job they loved. It was the longest strike in union history, starting back in July.

Dead Reckoning Part Two had started filming before the strike but had to halt production. The film was also set to premiere on June 28, 2024 but has now been pushed back to May 23, 2025.

The previous Mission: Impossible movie, subtitled Dead Reckoning Part One, premiered in July. However, it underperformed at the box office compared to the other Mission: Impossible films.

It grossed about $567.5 million (about £454.5 million) at the box office. But Industry professionals weren't surprised, as it hit cinemas the same weekend Barbenheimer in which Barbie and Oscar winner Oppenheimer both made cinema history with the ticket sales.

Mission: Impossible is based on the 1966 TV series created by Bruce Geller. The series is mainly produced by and stars Eyes Wide Shut star, Tom, who plays Hunt, an agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF).

The films have experienced a generally positive reception from critics and are the 17th-highest-grossing film series of all time, earning over $4.09 billion (£3.2 billion) worldwide. The sixth film, titled Fallout, was released on July 27, 2018 and is currently the series' highest-grossing entry.

Tom was just 34 years old when he started playing field agent, Ethan, who in the first film was supposed to be 32. The actor famously performs his own stunts throughout the entirety of the franchise - no matter his age.

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