Russian actress blasts off to shoot first movie filmed in space

A Russian filmmaking duo are set to win the moviemaking space race, dashing Tom Cruise’s dream of being the first to shoot a film entirely in orbit.

That distinction will go to director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild who today launched into space for a 12 day extraterrestrial shoot.

The pair beat out thousands of hopefuls to win the opportunity of making their film, entitled The Challenge, aboard the International Space Station.

The drama centres around a doctor who is sent to the ISS to perform an urgent operation on an astronaut.

Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos and Russian state TV Channel One will jointly produce the feature length film.

Seasoned astronaut Anton Shkaplerov is accompany them on the expedition and act as mission commander. He has also been tapped to moonlight as an actor in the film.

To prepare for the mission, both Shipenko and Peresild had to undergo a rigorous three-month training programme, including learning the basics of space survival, completing zero gravity, centrifuge and vibration tests and practising for in-flight emergencies.

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