James Corden and Tom Cruise Perform in ‘The Lion King’ for Their Final ‘Late Late Show’ Stunt Together

Corden and Cruise took to the stage to perform “Hakuna Matata” dressed as Lion King characters Timon and Pumbaa respectively for CBS’s primetime special before the final episode of The Late Late Show

James Corden reunited with Tom Cruise for the primetime special on CBS before the final episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden.

The British actor and comedian, 44, teamed up to accomplish one final mission together. He Facetimed the Top Gun: Maverick star, 60, to ask him to lunch and “much, much more” while Cruise was jumping out of a plane.

When Cruise arrived at a theater in Hollywood to meet him, Corden informed him it was finally time to “enter my world” of musical theater after the pair had previously done Cruise’s signature adrenaline-fuel activities including flying a fighter jet and jumping out of an airplane on the show. He finally revealed his big plan was for them to perform live in The Lion King.

Cruise initially hesitated but Corden encouraged him to go ahead with the performance. Corden introduced himself to their new castmates as a Tony winner — he won in 2012 for his role in One Man, Two Guvnors — while he joked that Cruise had “limited or next to no theatrical experience.”

However, Corden later reassured the star, saying, “When you and me get out that stage, we’re going to set this place on fire because you’re Tom Cruise.” He then assisted the box office icon through a number of theater exercises.

TERENCE PATRICK/CBS

Once Cruise got on board, he gave a pep talk to the group, sharing, “Tonight, we can show them something they have never seen before. We can make some magic.”

For the big show, Cruise and Corden navigated sharing a singular Herr Rhino costume while performing “The Circle of Life.”

During a brief intermission, Corden said, “That was amazing. I’m so proud of you,” but told Cruise they were, in fact, “not done.”

The pair returned to the stage for a spirited performance of “Hakuna Matata” dressed as Timon (Corden) and Pumbaa (Cruise).

TERENCE PATRICK/CBS James Corden Shares His Most Memorable — and Funniest! — Moments from The Late Late Show (Exclusive)

After joining the cast for a curtain call, Cruise said, “That was amazing. What a show! Listen, a couple of the hyenas are going out for drinks so let’s go.” However, Corden refused to join him, saying, “You go.”

“What’s the matter, buddy?” Cruise asked, and Corden replied, “Nothing.”

Corden continued: “I said I’m going to go. I’ll just see you around, I guess. You don’t have to pretend anymore, Tom. I know how this works. You’re a big movie star and you’re going to have more projects to promote and when that happens you’re just going to find yourself another late-night host.”

“You tell me I’m wrong when Mission: Impossible 12 comes out. You’re not going to think of me,” he added.

TERENCE PATRICK/CBS James Corden Announces His Departure from The Late Late Show: ‘A Really Hard Decision’

“Who’s fault is that?” Cruise asked. “You’re the one turning your back on everything that we have. Everything that we’ve created. This is your last show, you did this to us.”

The tensions between the pair continued to rise until Cruise finally said he was leaving.

But moments later, they were already missing each other — and breaking into song. As they sang “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” separately but in tandem, a highlight reel of their time together played.

Finally, they reunited on a rooftop in Hollywood where Corden declared his love for Cruise before he took off in a helicopter.

The clip concluded with Corden being stranded on the rooftop, asking, “Tom, how do I get down?” as he flew away.

TERENCE PATRICK/CBS James Corden Says Leaving The Late Late Show Is ‘Going to Be Beyond Emotional’

The primetime special — which also included an emotional final “Carpool Karaoke” with Adele — comes as Corden prepares to leave The Late Late Show on Thursday night.

In November, Corden announced he was exiting the comedy talk show in April.

In a statement to Deadline, who was the first to report his exit news, Corden said choosing to leave the show — known for many of its viral segments, including “Carpool Karaoke”, “Spill Your Guts” and “Crosswalk Musical” — after eight-and-a-half years was “a really hard decision.”

“I’m thrilled to be extending [for a year],” Corden continued. “I always thought I’d do it for five years and then leave and then I stayed on. I’ve really been thinking about it for a long time, thinking whether there might be one more adventure.”

“My intention is to try and go out in exactly the same way we came in, which is just going out with a bang,” he concluded.

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The final episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden airs Friday (at 12:37 a.m.) on CBS.