Filming for Mission Impossible faced a setback after a request for 40 helicopters to land in Svalbard, Norway was turned down. The goal is to preserve the protected site.
Production of the new Mission Impossible movie, starring Tom Cruise, was forced to change course after authorities in Svalbard, the Norwegian arctic territory, denied permission for helicopters to land for filming.
The case arose last Friday when the producer PolarX tried to obtain authorization for the landing of 40 helicopters in the protected Norwegian archipelago. According to The Guardian, the local authorities rejected the request because they considered that the arrival of this “entourage” would disturb the wildlife of the territory, whose population (about 2,500 people) is less than the number of polar bears (about 3,000).
Despite having appealed to the Norwegian environmental agency to annul the government’s decision, the creators of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part II, scheduled for 2024, ended up giving up the attempt. “We have been informed that the film’s production team has withdrawn the complaint to our agency regarding this matter,” an agency spokesperson was quoted as saying in The Guardian, adding that “The production company said they had other solutions.”
The government’s decision not to allow helicopters to land on the territory was based on section 73 of the Svalbard Environment Act, which requires that traffic in the archipelago “does not spoil or degrade the natural environment or result in unnecessary disturbance to people or wildlife.”
While other air vehicles have already landed on the territory, in the context of wildlife documentary filming, the head of Svalbard’s environmental protection office considered PolarX’s request “totally different.” “It is a feature film. They want to use the helicopter landings as part of the film itself, therefore with considerable activity on the ground,” explained Kristin Heggelund, quoted by the same newspaper.
The PolarX production company has already managed to find a solution for the filming, but has not yet revealed the final destination. As for Tom Cruise, when approached by the local Svalbardposten newspaper, he declined to comment on the matter, saying only: “It’s wonderful to be here.” The actor has been seen on the streets of Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard.
Source: Observadora
