Councillors and residents hope new light will be shone on Basildon after superstar actor Tom Cruise is rumoured to have flown in ahead of secret filming in the town.
Videos circulating on social media show the Mission Impossible star seemingly exiting a helicopter near Archers Fields, at the Burnt Mills Industrial Estate on Tuesday.
The video shows the actor waving and speaking to fans and onlookers. He thanked them for letting him use the car park.
Pat Reid, Labour councillor for Pitsea North West, said: “If it is true, I am sorry I missed him, why didn’t anyone tell me?
“It is a huge boost for the town and I understand why they kept it quiet.“The filming studio has had some big names and I don’t think most people know it’s there.
“If they did filming here, it’s a big boost for the town and puts a positive spin on Basildon. It could put Basildon on the map if filming done here makes it onto the big screen.”
Delighted fans claim they saw the star landing in the helicopter in Burnt Mills to film. It is understood he was at a filming business in the town. However, it is not known what project he is working on.
One resident posted online: “I stood in the yard today watching a helicopter land next door.
“Who should it be but Tom Cruise himself here to film at the underwater film set in Basildon for the latest Mission Impossible film.”
When the Echo contacted The Underwater Studio, in Basildon, it said it was unable to comment.
Last May the actor starred in Top Gun: Maverick, 30 years after the original film.And it is not the first time he has filmed in Essex.
He previously filmed scenes for Mission Impossible in Brentwood in 2017 and was known to have filmed scenes for Edge of Tomorrow at the Essex and Suffolk Water works in Hanningfield in 2013.
On January 24, it was revealed that Top Gun: Maverick was nominated at the 2023 Academy Awards.
One of the world’s highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d’Or and three Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for four Academy Awards.
Another fan posted online: “Tom Cruise came to Basildon, landing with his helicopter into a car park in an industrial area, two miles away from my home.
“Nobody knew about it, only these few people saw him and posted this video on Facebook.”
