Tom Cruise: Why 'Mission Impossible,' 'Top Gun Maverick' star was in Naples

Rumors have been racing around town in recent weeks, almost faster than Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt character driving a motorcycle in a "Mission Impossible" movie.

Was Cruise, the "Top Gun Maverick" star, recently in Naples? And if so, why?

The rumors are true, and here's what we know.

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Tom Cruise preparing for next "Mission Impossible"

The Daily Mail, a London-based tabloid newspaper, reported in a story about a month ago that the 60-year-old actor was pictured at Naples Airport flying his own P-51 Mustang to prepare for upcoming production of "Mission: Impossible ― Dead Reckoning Part Two," set for release in 2024.

The first part of "Dead Reckoning" hits theaters July 12, 2023.

"He sported shaggy brown locks and looked fit on the spring day at the airfield," The Daily Mail story said. "Cruise was seen climbing into the aircraft ― which bore his name on the side of it ― and was pictured donning sunglasses and an aviation headset for the weekend outing."

The six "Mission Impossible" films so far, from 1996 through 2018, have earned more than $3.5 billion worldwide.

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The story includes photos of Cruise, first arriving in a small, private jet wearing a navy T-shirt and jeans. Others depict him wearing a tight powder blue T-shirt and black pants, walking on the airport grounds and flying the silver, single-seat aircraft with a red nose.

North American Aviation P-51 Mustangs are single-seat, long-range fighter and fighter-bomber planes that were used primarily during World War II and the Korean War.

Tom Cruise lands at Naples airport. Photos, video on Twitter

Type "cruise in Naples" on Twitter and various accounts show videos and photos of Cruise at Naples Airport in late April.

The account @elitejetsnaples May 13 posted a video of Cruise flying the plane for a takeoff and landing. Another, @tomcruise_de, on May 24 posted a 27-second video shows Cruise turning the plane on the ground.

Other Twitters posts include photos of Cruise at the airport, such as Tom Cruise News (@TCNews 62), with more than 23,400 followers.

Does Tom Cruise live in Naples, Florida? His mother, Mary Lee Mapother, did

The A-list actor is no stranger to Southwest Florida, especially the Naples area. His mother, Mary Lee South, lived on Marco Island for years before dying in 2017 at age 80.

When Cruise wanted to practice flying his vintage aircraft, he probably chose Naples Airport because that's where he likely arrived and departed when visiting her. A Louisville, Kentucky, native, she began as Mary Lee Preiffer and eventually became a teacher before marrying Cruise's father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III.

The couple broke up and she remarried Jack South, Cruise's stepfather.

"The two moved to Marco Island, where they lived together for nearly two decades," said a February 2017 Naples Daily News story about her.

"During that time (Mary Lee) South became actively involved in the community, co-founding the Marco Island Film Festival and serving as a minister of the Eucharist for San Marco Catholic Church, where her legacy lived on even after she moved away from the island. She later converted to Scientology."

Cruise is also a member of the Church of Scientology.

Where is Tom Cruise?

To keep up with the "Top Gun Maverick" star, @celebrityjets posts updates on his comings and goings, via private jet. The bot account on Instagram tracks jets and private planes owned by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Ron DeSantis, Blake Shelton, Kim Kardashian, Mark Wahlberg, and Kylie Jenner. University of Central Florida student Jack Sweeney programmed the bot accounts on Twitter and Instagram.

As of Monday, June 5, @celebrityjets reported "Tom Cruise's Challanger 300 Took off near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US. Going to Jonesboro, Arkansas, US (JBR, Jonesboro Municipal Airport) arriving in ~1h55m." The plane is registered to Pete Mitchell Aviation LLC. "Top Gun" fans may recognize the reference to Cruise's breakout film.

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Nicole Kidman, formerly married to Tom Cruise, and her country music star husband Keith Urban visit Naples, too

When Cruise was married to actress Nicole Kidman, from 1990 to 2001, the Hollywood power couple was sometimes spotted around town when visiting Southwest Florida.

Kidman also returned to Naples years later, with current husband Keith Urban, including in 2012 when they saw a "Spider-Man" movie at Hollywood 20 in North Naples (now called Regal Naples).

The couple has returned to Naples a few times since then, for a private $3,000-a-plate dinner in 2019. Urban was back in November 2022, when he performed a concert for about 2,000 people at Tiburón Golf Club as part of the CME Group Tour Championship.

Urban's show was a thank you to first responders who helped the community after Hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida two months earlier.

The couple wed in 2006 and have two children.

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter and on Twitter @NDN_dosborn

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Tom Cruise in Florida? More about 'Mission Impossible' star's visit