Tom Cruise hires heavyweight bodyguards to beef up his security after receiving a string of death threats from a former stuntman

Hollywood star Tom Cruise has hired a security team of heavyweight bodybuilders after a former employee threatened him and director Christopher McQuarrie.

A leading publication reports the dispute began after a stunt producer on the sets of Cruise’s much-anticipated film Mission Impossible 8 was told his services were no longer required, provoking loud protests and worries of more retaliation.

“Tom and Chris are still working on Mission: Impossible 8, mostly in the UK, but things have got increasingly unpleasant with a former crew member and now it’s a case of taking no chances,” a source tells another publication.

“It’s a bit of art imitating life, on set it’s all about heavy protection and threats and now the same thing is going on behind the cameras,” the source adds.

According to the publication, the stunt producer was instructed to identify filming locations for scenarios, including one showing a train catastrophe, but his preparations were not carried out in the film.

Cruise, 60, and McQuarrie, 53, hired the security crew right after receiving death threats from the stunt producer.

“Tom is used to having security teams around him most of the time because of his fame. But for Chris, it’s a very new thing. Nobody is taking any chances,” the source concluded.

Talking about the incident, another source adds: “It’s all turned very nasty, but those involved in the films are confident everything is totally fine, he’s just an angry ex-staff member.”

The American security service is yet to confirm if they have begun any investigation.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning is a two-part film series. One part of which is scheduled to hit screens to be released in the year 2023 and the other in 2024.

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