How Svalbard delivered the goods on Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning

Svalbard has an infamous reputation as the remote Norwegian Arctic Ocean archipelago where polar bears outnumber humans. So when Paramount and Skydance needed to up the ante for the locations in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, they thought the region would provide the perfect extreme backdrop to the action.

Svalbard has 2,100 glaciers covering more than half the landscape, and the Mission team relished shooting on some of those ice caps. “You can’t fake being in minus 40 degrees,” notes director Christopher McQuarrie. “You take your gloves off for a few seconds and your fingers start to freeze.”

This is the third time the Mission: Impossible series has shot in Norway, the country having already doubled for Kashmir (in Mission: Impossible — Fallout) and the Austrian Alps (Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning). “We’re really proud they have come back again,” says Meghan Beaton, chief executive of the Norwegian Film Commission. “Obviously, it’s an increase in competency for Norwegian film workers. We really see that over the past few years, and it is bearing fruit in our homegrown films. You see our film crew have been exposed to the best in the industry.

“Our equipment offering has expanded over the past few years with such big productions, and investments have been made,” continues Beaton. “We’re so proud Tom Cruise is coming back again and again. It shows our suppliers delivered to the highest quality.”

Strong logistics

Beaton explains that, despite its wildness and the fact it is located halfway between northern Norway and the North Pole, Svalbard offers some attractive logistics, such as a huge landing strip for incoming aircraft. It also exists outside the European Economic Area (EEA), meaning there is less paperwork to bring equipment, crew and talent into Svalbard — and no VAT is charged. “It’s quite welcoming and there’s a lot of equipment already up there thanks to a company called PolarX,” says Beaton. “It is the premier logistics supplier to Arctic and Antarctic shooting.”

The costs of filming on Svalbard are not applicable to Norway’s production incentive because it is outside the EEA. Yet for Final Reckoning’s work on Norway’s mainland, Paramount and Skydance did tap into that 25% cash rebate system — which is selective and has an annual cap.

Svalbard, Norway; Source: Jacek Urbanski

Final Reckoning had a full 10 shooting days in Svalbard in early spring 2023, and a production team was there for nearly four months on pre-production and wrap-up. The local service producer was Per Henry Borch of Truenorth Norway, who had worked on the other two Missions in Norway, as well as features including Dune: Part One, Black Widow, Tenet and No Time To Die.

There were media reports during the 2023 shoot that Svalbard nixed a plan to have more than 40 helicopters landing for the production, partly to protect the environment. But, “they did find other solutions”, says Beaton.

“This was a big deal for the Svalbard economy because it represented 4,000 hotel nights,” she adds. When shooting on glaciers, the team also housed cast and crew on a ship. Specifics of the shoot, including whether Svalbard plays itself or doubles for another location — or if Ethan Hunt has to face up to a polar bear — are being kept under wraps until the film’s May release following a Cannes Film Festival launch.

Thanks to stunning locations, Svalbard has hosted more than 400 shoots in the past 30 years, including hundreds of nature documentaries. It also makes an appearance in another 2025 blockbuster, James Gunn’s Superman (details are still confidential). Past features to shoot on the archipelago include Captain America: The First Avenger, GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, The Golden Compass and Die Another Day, plus TV series including The Seed, The North Water and Fortitude.

It takes an adventurer’s spirit to film in a place where, during certain times of year, the 2,100 residents carry rifles on leaving their houses to thwart possible polar bear attacks. But the results are worthwhile.

“Svalbard is breathtakingly beautiful,” says Final Reckoning star and producer Tom Cruise. “It’s a remarkable place to be able to film. It is a unique experience. I want to give audiences the experience of being there. It was a real privilege to do it and it looks amazing on the screen.”

This feature appeared in our print publication World Of Locations' Cannes edition