Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 will reportedly be the last time we see Tom Cruise play secret agent Ethan Hunt.
Variety reports that the two movies will be a "culmination" for the entire series, acting as a sendoff for the iconic character. There's allegedly pressure on the director Christopher McQuarrie "to deliver a slam-bang farewell to the super spy" – expect Cruise to pull out all the stops when it comes to death-defying stunts, then. The seventh film also reportedly ends on a cliffhanger and was expected to film back-to-back with the eighth movie, but that plan was altered due to COVID measures.
Cruise first portrayed Ethan in 1996’s Mission: Impossible, the movie version of the 1966 television series of the same name created by the late Bruce Geller. Brian De Palma directed the first installment, which centers on an Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agent who seeks to hunt the traitor who framed him for murder. Frequent Tom Cruise collaborator McQuarrie – who penned the screenplay for the latest Top Gun sequel – previously directed Mission: Impossible 5 and Mission: Impossible 6.
The seventh film introduces Hayley Atwell, Cary Elwes, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales, Charles Parnell, Indira Varma, Mark Gatiss, and comedian Rob Delaney to the Mission: Impossible universe. Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby will reprise their prior roles in both installments.
Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 are now set to premiere in 2023 and 2024, respectively, after their original 2021 and 2022 release dates were pushed back. For more upcoming movies, check out our guide to what’s being released in 2022.
