Los Angeles (dpa) - US actor Tom Cruise plans to shoot a film in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS), in collaboration with the United States space agency NASA.

"NASA is excited to work with Tom Cruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station!," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said on Twitter on Tuesday.

"We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make NASA’s ambitious plans a reality," he tweeted.

Trade publication Deadline.com earlier reported Cruise wanted to involve Elon Musk's private space travel company SpaceX on the project.

The planned film is not connected to the "Mission: Impossible" series, and there is no studio on board yet, according to the report.

Shooting of "Mission: Impossible 7" in Italy, starring Cruise, was stopped in February due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The cinematic release of the "Top Gun" sequel, also starring Cruise, was postponed to December.