The space race begins anew. As we know, it was announced earlier this year that Tom Cruise would be partnering with Elon Musk's Space X and NASA to shoot a film in outer-space on the International Space Station that will be directed by Doug Liman. A rather ambitious project to be sure, but it's hard to imagine any actor but Tom Cruise actually heading to space. However, Russia is hoping to beat Hollywood to the punch as they've announced that looking for an actress to star in a feature-film set to be shot in outer-space in October 2021.
Russian space agency Roscosmos, Channel One Russia, and Yellow, Black and White studio are reportedly slated to shoot the first-ever movie in space (provided they beat Tom Cruise), which is going under the working title of Challenge. Not much is known about the project, but it's expected to popularize Russia's space activities as well as glorify the cosmonaut profession. Part of the plot of the film will include a flight to the International Space Station and they're currently searching for an actress to be featured in the production. The casting announcement states that applicants don't have to be professional actresses, but that a "real superhero" is required for the part who wants to "go to the stars at the same time as becoming a big international star." Applicants are required to be Russian citizens between the ages of 25 and 40, stand somewhere between 150 and 180cm tall, weigh between 50 and 70kg, and have a "chest girth" of up to 112cm. Not only that, but they must be able to "run 1km in three and a half minutes or less, swim 800m freestyle in 20 minutes, and dive from a three-meter springboard with an impressive technique." Oh, and they have to have a clean criminal record as well.
As for Tom Cruise's space movie, it's been said that the tentative launch date is October 2022, a full year after Russia's launch, but when it comes to the world of Hollywood and space lauches, anything could happen. Tom Cruise is currently in the midst of production on Mission: Impossible 7, which is slated to hit theaters on November 19, 2021, with Mission: Impossible 8 expected to follow on November 4, 2022.