Over the years, the fast-paced entries in the Mission: Impossible franchise have easily ranked among some of the best Tom Cruise movies of all time. So, you can imagine cinephiles’ anticipation for the two upcoming action movies, Mission: Impossible 7 and 8, which were considered Cruise’s send-off from the big IP. However, it turns out the acclaimed star may not be done with the character Ethan Hunt just yet.
Speaking to the Light The Fuse podcast, director Christopher McQuarrie, has now given some reason to doubt that Cruise will be leaving the beloved spy movie franchise after Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part 2 (aka Mission: Impossible 8). “Let me tell you, I’ve been working with Tom Cruise for 15 years, and I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve been standing next to the man, witnessed an event and then read about it in the trades the next day, and none of what they describe is actually true,” he explained.
“When you read articles in the trades, just put the imaginary word in front of the headline: ‘The Agenda Is…’ When you read ‘anonymous sources’ or ‘sources close to the production say,’ that’s somebody putting it out there for a specific reason.”
“That’s someone wanting others to think that for a specific reason, and you can never know for sure what those reasons are,” he continued. “You learn to ignore it and laugh at it. In today’s world, you wait 17 minutes, and another news cycle will sweep it away.”
While the director never fully confirmed that Tom Cruise would return for future Mission: Impossible projects, his words do suggest that there is more behind the initial reports that Mission: Impossible 8 will be the actor’s Ethan Hunt swan song.
It is highly likely that Cruise is still considering his options and future roles, meaning that he hasn’t made a firm decision either way yet. Whether more Mission: Impossible will be on his agenda is yet to be seen. Stay tuned for updates.
Mission: Impossible 8 will hit theatres on June 28, 2024, while Mission Impossible 7 will release on July 14, 2023. For more action-packed fun, here are our guides to the best thriller movies and best drama movies of all time.