There’s a new Mission Impossible movie in cinemas, and that’s a cause for celebration. We love what Mission Impossible has become in recent years, delivering some of the best action movies of all time and providing a showcase for Tom Cruise and his insatiable death wish.
Simon Pegg joined the franchise with a very brief role in Mission Impossible 3, but has since become a key pillar of the Mission Impossible cast as IMF tech whizz Benji Dunn.
In a new interview with Variety, Pegg explained how the best movies in the series manage to keep topping their predecessors. And the reason has a lot to do with director Christopher McQuarrie, who is no stranger to getting a little bit Wallace and Gromit.
Pegg said: “McQ’s method of filmmaking is like in Wallace and Gromit’s The Wrong Trousers when Gromit is on the top of the train and he’s laying the track in front of the train as it’s moving.”
It might not be the comparison that comes to mind when talking about one of the biggest new movies of the year, but there’s definitely some truth in it based on everything we know from the sets of these films.
Pegg added: “I think McQ loves to have the story reveal itself to him, and those beautiful little parallels and callbacks aren’t necessarily preordained — they just kind of present themselves. McQ’s really keen to evolve the story in a very organic way and never to cram anything in.
“If it feels right, we’ll do it. If it feels like it’s just fan service or it’s just some kind of tenuous link, which doesn’t quite ring true, then it won’t find its way in.”
So McQuarrie might have the keys to one of the biggest franchises on the planet, but he’s taking his cues from Britain and one of the best animated movies of all time. Maybe they should let Gromit direct the next one?
You can find out what we thought of the latest movie in our Mission Impossible 7 review and look ahead to the future with our guide to the Mission Impossible 8 release date. Alternatively, catch up on the franchise so far by watching the Mission Impossible movies in order.
Elsewhere, find out about everyone who dies in Mission Impossible 7 and the Mission Impossible 7 Easter eggs you missed, or check out our Hayley Atwell interview.
We’ve also explained how to run according to the movies, as well as exploring why Tom Cruise took the Mission Impossible cast shark diving. He’s a bizarre dude.