The Mission Impossible Magic Tricks

The Newest Mission: Impossible Member... Ben Hart. Forget "Barbenheimer," the name for the dual release of blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same weekend. The other hot summer movie, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, had magic in it.

The franchise's star, Tom Cruise, famously does his own stunts, climbing rock walls and hanging off the side of planes. So, when tasked with a magic trick for the newest film, it checks out that Cruise would learn how to perform sleight of hand himself rather than hiring a hand double. But how is a Hollywood star supposed to fool thousands of moviegoers? Enter Ben Hart.

British magician Ben Hart was the sleight of hand consultant behind the magic tricks in the new Mission Impossible movie.

For those unfamiliar, Hart is a sensation in England, bringing a new show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year and then touring with it. His book The Darkest Corners was an instant hit when it was released in 2020, and his newest show, Jadoo, is set to premiere on August 2nd at the Fringe.

On IMDb, Hart is listed as the "magic and pickpocketing consultant" for the new Mission: Impossible film. According to Hart, it all came together the night before. He received a call from the film crew, asking him to be in a car at 6 AM the following day to work with Cruise. He then got to spend about two weeks on set teaching a movie star card tricks – pretty cool, yeah?

There's a long history of magicians consulting in movies. Perhaps the most famous recent example is Now You See Me, which theory11 played a massive part in. You can check out the cards used in that film here.

Likewise, Hart is no newcomer to magic consulting. "I'm always happy to help with a beheading," he said after consulting on a Royal Shakespeare Company production that featured the illusion.

The Mission: Impossible series is known for its deceptiveness–pulling off a lifelike mask to reveal someone else has become a staple of the franchise. But you'll have to see the movie to find out if the newest trick lives up to the hype. And with the cacophony around "Berbehneimer," you just might be able to secure a ticket.