(Left) Christopher McQuarrie, writer and director of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’ (Right) Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Conan the Barbarian’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Preview:
Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced Christopher McQuarrie for ‘King Conan’.
The ‘Mission Impossible’ writer/director is reportedly aboard the next stage of the character.
Schwarzenegger also hinted at a return to the ‘Predator’ universe.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger talks, people listen. And when he talks potential projects featuring iconic characters he’s played in the past, people listen even more intently.
While there was some skepticism given the long development and previously unsuccessful attempts at a Conan follow-up, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that McQuarrie is indeed on board.
What has Arnold Schwarzenegger said about ‘King Conan’?
Director Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Here’s Schwarzenegger’s latest statement on the project:
“They just hired a fantastic writer/director who did Tom Cruise’s last four movies. They just hired Christopher McQuarrie to write and direct ‘King Conan.’ Now, what they do is that they write the part. They don’t write them like I’m forty years old; you write it to be age-appropriate. I’ll still go in there and kick some ass, but it will be different…With ‘King Conan,’ it’s a great old story that Conan was forty years as King, and now he gets forced out of the kingdom, and there’s conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back, and there’s all kinds of madness, violence, magic, and creatures, and stuff like that. And now, of course, there’s all kinds of special effects.”
What else did Schwarzenegger hint at?
In good form, Schwarzenegger also let slip that he’s talked to ‘Predator: Badlands’ director Dan Trachtenberg about returning to one of his other big action franchises.
We’ll have to wait and see whether any of this comes to pass, but it’s certainly an exciting update!
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Based on the popular TV series of the same name, Tom Cruise‘s ‘Mission: Impossible‘ films have earned more than $4 billion at the box office and has become one of the most popular cinematic franchises of all time!
Cruise and McQuarrie have revitalized the franchise with their elaborate stunts and action sequences, and their latest addition to the series, and possibly the last, ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘, opens in theaters on May 23rd.
In honor of the new film’s release, Moviefone is ranking every ‘Mission: Impossible’ film ever made.
With computer genius Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) at his side and a beautiful thief (Thandiwe Newton) on his mind, agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) races across Australia and Spain to stop a former IMF agent (Dougray Scott) from unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera. This mission, should Hunt choose to accept it, plunges him into the center of an international crisis of terrifying magnitude.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One ‘from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
In ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.
When Ethan Hunt (Cruise), the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he’s surprised to learn that he’s the No. 1 suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the IMF team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity — which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe — with the world’s governments and a mysterious ghost from Ethan’s past on their trail. Joined by new allies and armed with the means to shut the Entity down for good, Hunt is in a race against time to prevent the world as we know it from changing forever.
Retired from active duty to train new IMF agents, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is called back into action to confront sadistic arms dealer, Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Hunt must try to protect his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan) while working with his new team to complete the mission.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt to stop him ends in an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF to be implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to disavow them. No longer being aided by the government, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks around the globe, although they might still be too late to stop a disaster.
Ethan (Cruise) and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating ‘The Syndicate’, an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.
When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt (Cruise) takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begin to question his loyalty and his motives. The IMF team find themselves in a race against time, hunted by assassins while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
If 2023’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ was a rocketship of a movie that blasted clear into the stratosphere on a two-and-a-half-hour surge of supercharged action fuel, then ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ is the long, bumpy descent back to Earth, full of near-misses and some truly exhilarating moments before settling onto the ground in somewhat anticlimactic fashion.
As a possible close to this nearly 30-year-old, eight-movie saga, it’s frustrating, fan-servicey, and non-committal; as an entry on its own terms in what has become one of the best action franchises of the 21st century, it’s got a weird structure that goes flat for long stretches before jolting us with some of the series’ most electrifying set pieces. But star/producer Tom Cruise, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and their cast work hard to sew up many of the franchise’s loose ends and deliver a ton of movie, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by the last three or four chapters in the story.
Story and Direction
Director Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The first 30 or 40 minutes of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ are its wobbliest. The film begins with a montage of moments from across the entire series, as if to remind us of not just what happened in the last movie, but to recap the entire saga and jog our memories of how monumental it all is. We’ve also got to get up to speed on the events of ‘Dead Reckoning,’ since – despite the efforts to play down the two films as ‘Part One’ and ‘Part Two’ after the former underperformed at the box office – ‘The Final Reckoning’ is a direct sequel that picks up almost right where we left off (despite reports of reshoots, some of which are glaringly obvious here).
Cruise and McQuarrie seemingly want to secure their franchise’s place in the action/sci-fi movie firmament as well, right next to the likes of Marvel’s Infinity Saga, the James Bond films, and the Skywalker Saga. In fact, there’s an air of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ around ‘The Final Reckoning,’ with McQuarrie’s screenplay (co-written with Erik Jendresen) not just rehashing the events of movies past but bringing in plot points and characters from specific films — most notably the very first ‘Mission: Impossible’ and J.J. Abrams’ ‘Mission: Impossible III’ – while retconning a few as well. There’s also a significant death early in the picture, which makes it seem – at least initially – that everyone’s life could be up for grabs.
Well, they kind of are, actually: ‘The Final Reckoning’ leans fully into the pulp sci-fi aspect of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ IP — going all the way back to the TV show — by making the stakes here nothing less than the end of human civilization at the hands of the Entity, the sentient, self-replicating AI that was the bogey at the heart of the previous film. As the film opens, the Entity is seizing control of not just the world’s nine major nuclear arsenals one by one, but, oddly, all online content as well, creating its own never-ending of deepfakes and fake news to confuse the human race and turn everyone against each other (as if we need AI to do that these days).
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The Entity’s proselytizer and human henchman from the first film, Gabriel (Esai Morales), is now operating on his own and wants to get control of it, which requires a key that only Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is currently in possession of. Former CIA director Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett), now the President of the United States, wants Ethan to come in, while current CIA director, the eternally oily Kittredge (Henry Czerny), wants to get his hands on the Entity’s steering wheel as well. But Ethan knows that the Entity cannot be tamed and must be destroyed.
The means to do that is revealed in a lot of heavily-convoluted scenes of exposition that stop the film dead in its tracks several times, with McQuarrie deploying characters to finish each other’s sentences even if they’re sometimes not in the same room or on the same continent. The results are bizarre, as if the filmmakers are taking the criticism of this property’s often nonsensical storylines so seriously that they want to make sure that you’re fully briefed every 10 minutes or so.
In any case, it turns out that the only way to either stop or gain control of the Entity is by obtaining its source code, which is on a drive hidden away in that submarine that sank at the beginning of ‘Dead Reckoning.’ If that source code can be combined with a “poison pill” virus created by Ethan’s reliable bestie and teammate Luther (Ving Rhames) and uploaded to the internet, it can theoretically send the Entity scurrying through the world’s routers and fiber-optic cables into a trap that Ethan, Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell) and their allies hope can capture the AI “in the blink of an eye.”
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’. Photo: Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
With the IMF team on the run from the Bering Sea to South Africa to achieve their mission, as Gabriel’s minions close in on them from one side and Kittredge’s squads bear down on the other, ‘The Final Reckoning’ eventually kicks into gear with two absolutely superb action sequences that are notable for how unlike each other they are. The first is an eerie, almost completely wordless 20-minute segment in which Ethan indeed breaches that sub, now a massive underwater tomb, and must escape with the source code before the sub plunges off the outcropping it’s perched on to the bottom of the ocean. Ethan’s fight to get out is incredibly nerve-wracking, although the end of the sequence undermines even its movie realism by allowing him to do something we were told one scene earlier is impossible for any human to do.
The second action set piece is basically the entire third act, a steady build-up of tension as we cut between Ethan and Gabriel battling in mid-air on dueling bi-planes, a standoff in an underground shelter involving guns, a ticking bomb, and one badly injured hero, and the President getting ready to pre-emptively press the nuclear button with a traitor standing just feet from her. The aerial dogfight is nothing short of stunningly spectacular, Cruise once again risking his life as he hangs off both planes and slides all over their wingspans as the aircraft dive and swoop through mountains, ravines and valleys.
That last half hour is really what we want from a ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie, and worth every penny onscreen (speaking of which, the movie looks astounding throughout, even if large chunks of it take place in tight, dark spaces). The very end of the story, meanwhile, sort of undermines the climax but also suggests a last-minute retooling. It’s not really clear where this franchise goes from here, but it is evident from the movie’s coda that the filmmakers themselves don’t really know either.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Is his job finally getting to Ethan Hunt, or is making these behemoths finally getting to Tom Cruise? The venerable movie star seems a bit tired here, although in some ways he gives perhaps his most emotional performance as Ethan Hunt. Still, the idea that the fate of the world rests on his shoulders – and has been resting on them for a while – seems a bit much to hang on one guy. Having said that, Cruise gives his all here as usual, particular in those gut-churning airborne stunts and his seemingly unending ability to run great distances at speed.
As with ‘Dead Reckoning,’ the cast here is stacked to the rafters. It’s just a shame that most of the glittering ensemble don’t really play characters but just chess pieces who each get a moment or two to shine if they’re lucky. Pegg and Rhames are dependable as always, forming the emotional core of the movie, while Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff look fabulous as they do whatever the script requires and little else.
(L to R) Nick Offerman, Charles Parnell, Angela Bassett, Mark Gatiss and Janet McTeer in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
As for the rest of the folks – Bassett, Holt McCallany as the Secretary of Defense, Nick Offerman as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (just one year after playing the President himself!), the great Janet McTeer as Someone Important in the President’s Circle, and Hannah Waddingham and Tramell Tillman as a carrier commander and submarine captain respectively – well, they’re all terrific (especially Waddingham and Tillman) and we wish we could see more of them.
The biggest disappointment is Esai Morales’ Gabriel. We warmed to him in ‘Dead Reckoning,’ but here the character’s motivations are even more vague, and Morales seems unsure whether to play the character as a cool-as-a-cucumber 007 antagonist or a maniacally laughing comic book supervillain.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt and Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Even though the movie itself doesn’t close the book definitively, this is probably where the mission should end (some thought it should have wrapped two movies ago with the sublime ‘Fallout’). It doesn’t seem plausible that each installment can keep getting bigger, and it’s less plausible that Tom Cruise will begin to age backwards. The more pronounced underlying theme here as well – Ethan Hunt is the savior of the world – strains good taste and credibility.
But let’s also give thanks to Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, and everyone else involved in these films over the years – including a handful that should receive a tip of the hat in this entry but don’t (cough, Rebecca Ferguson, cough) – who have kept the torch lit for big-screen, crowd-pleasing, spectacular action epics with a bit of heart and brains. ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ might not be the best of the series by a long shot, but it goes out mostly strong and even makes a much-needed plea for kindness, understanding, and trust. That might be the most impossible mission of all – should we choose to accept it.
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What is the plot of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’?
Following the events of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning,’ Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team must stop the villainous Gabriel (Esai Morales) from gaining control of the powerful sentient AI known as the Entity, which has plans of its own for the world.
Who is in the cast of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’?
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Preview:
Paramount offered news on some of its upcoming movies at its CinemaCon Presentation.
‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ and ‘The Running Man’ were among those hyped.
Surprisingly little was said about ‘Scream 7’ and a few other big titles.
Paramount had a very mixed 2024. Though the likes of ‘Gladiator II,’ ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ and ‘Smile 2’ did decent business, the studio also had its share of disappointments –– despite a compelling subject matter in musician Robbie Williams (albeit one unfamiliar to many in the States) and the intriguing choice to portray him entirely as a CGI ape, ‘Better Man’ became a domestic flop.
The studio is also dealing with being in flux in terms of management, with Skydance merger battling its way to closure.
More importantly, 2025 is ‘Mission’ critical, and by that, we mean ‘Mission: Impossible –– The Final Reckoning,’ which needs to reassure theater chain owners that the franchise can get back to its glory days after the disappointing returns for 2023’s ‘Dead Reckoning.’
Tom Cruise attends the Abu Dhabi Red Carpet and Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ presented by Paramount Pictures and Skydance at Emirates Palace Hotel on June 26, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Photo by Darren Arthur/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures.
Not to mention that this is potentially the actual final ‘Mission: Impossible,’ at least starring Tom Cruise in his ongoing collaboration with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. The big question: would the company announce that this really is the last chapter in a saga that began back in the 1990s (at least in movie terms), as a way to goose interest? Or would it confidently confirm that, like James Bond, Ethan Hunt would return?
Either way, the CinemaCon presentation was likely to feature Tom Cruise in some fashion –– be it on stage, or on video clinging to a plane, train or automobile (or building).
Or even, possibly just on screen holding his breath underwater during the entire panel, simply to prove he can.
Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
And now, on with the show…
Stunts are often something studios like to roll out, so Paramount kicked off with Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution riding a motorcycle on stage. He rode off to be replaced by three other riders, who did jumps off ramps and flips, all with smoke and explosions. Aronson was back to announce, “that’s right, I do my own stunts!”
He also talked up the company’s efforts to make 2025 a rebound year after the strikes and pledged to show fewer ads and trailers in theaters (phew!), plus other deals such as discount Wednesdays and extended matinee hours.
Following a sizzle reel of Paramount Pictures past and future, Brian Robbins, president and CEO took the stage to announce big news… Four ‘Paw Patrol’ movies for each pup to compete with Sony’s Beatles movies. He was joking of course. Or was he???!!
(L to R) Callum Shoniker as “Rocky,” Christian Corrao as “Marshall,” Luxton Handspiker as “Rubble,” Nylan Parthipan as “Zuma,” Christian Convery as “Chase,” McKenna Grace as “Skye,” Marsai Martin as “Liberty,” Alan Kim as “Nano,” Finn Lee-Epp as “Ryder,” North West as “Mini,” and Brice Gonzalez as “Tot” in ‘Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie’ from Spin Master Entertainment, Nickelodeon Movies, and Paramount Pictures.
Robbins also said that the studio’s guiding principle is shareholder… Sorry, that people love going to the movies.
Co-writer/director Edgar Wright was on stage to tout the Glen Powell-starring new version of the dystopian King story where civilians compete in deadly games to win cash prizes.
‘The Running Man,’ is per Wright is “the kind of movie that gives everyone something to cheer for.” He explained that since the source novel is set in 2025, so is the movie.
And talking of cheering, he was joined by star Powell on stage.
Powell said:
“This is the full meal. What Edgar has cooked up with this one is nothing short of extraordinary,”
The actor joked that he asked pal and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ boss Tom Cruise for advice on using a stunt double –– and has paid the price for doing so much himself.
“We knew we were part of something really special,” gushed Domingo, while Brolin admitted it was a thrill to play a wonderfully maniacal character.
Despite the movie having wrapped three short weeks ago, Domingo (dropping into character as show host Bobby Thompson) was able to cue up some footage, and a first look played.
In an extended trailer, Brolin’s executive character recruits Glen for show to protect his family. Lots of action. We see him in show and then being chased.
‘The Running Man’ sprints into theaters on November 7th.
The latest take on the little blue creatures features, as previously mentioned, Rihanna (who touted the movie in a video introduction) as the voice of Smurfette, in the story of Papa Smurf being kidnapped and the others having to find him.
The first trailer for the new animated/live-action outing was shown, showing how our diminutive heroes travel to the real world in search of Papa and encounter Ken, his brother (Offerman).
‘Smurfs’ will smurf its way into theaters on July 18th.
The latest SpongeBob film had voice star Tom Kenny on stage to talk up the movie, (he called it a “coming of age” story), joined by fellow performer Mark Hamill. Cue the ‘Corvette Summer’ jokes!
Hamill –– who plays the Flying Dutchman –– made the crowd laugh by saying,
“I did an episode in Season Five and I did such a good job they asked me back 18 years later!”
We got a first look at the film itself. Like ‘Smurfs,’ (and some other SpongeBob outings) it blends animation with live action, and features Clancy Brown as Blackbeard. The story finds out hero wanting to grow up and embrace his macho side by having more adventures –– including to the underworld.
‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’ will sail into theaters on December 19th.
Liam Neeson plays Frank in ‘The Naked Gun’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The new reboot of the classic comedy franchise –– spawned, let’s not forget from the files of ‘Police Squad’ is a Seth MacFarlane-produced take on the idea with Liam Neeson and Paul Walter Hauser among the cast.
‘Naked Gun’s presentation kicked off with a saxophone player on stage pumping out noir-y music as Chris Aronson stood silently on stage, while a recorded voice-over played over the speakers as if his internal monologue was happening in real time.
Best line?
“This musician sounds expensive, but this is Vegas, you have to pay for good sax…”
The teaser was shown, which you can find here:
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It’s a funny clip, introducing Neeson’s badass Frank Jr taking out bank robbers, only slightly undercut by being dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl complete with panties. Bonus points for a fun final gag featuring a wall of tributes to dead cops, crying sons honoring their fathers and possibly the best way to incorporate OJ Simpson (who played Nordberg in the original).
‘The Naked Gun’ stumbles on to screens on August 1st.
He cued the first trailer for the movie, a biopic of the fugitive Jeffrey Manchester, a former United States Army Reserve officer, known colloquially as “Roofman” due to his propensity to steal from branches of McDonald’s after entering their premises via the roof, and, after he was jailed and got out evaded further capture from police by hiding in the wall of a Toys ‘R’ Us store.
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Paramount’s Robbins returned to the stage to introduce the one, the only Tom Cruise, who got a rapturous reception.
Instead of launching into promotion, Cruise took a moment to memorialize friend and ‘Top Gun’ co-star Val Kilmer, who recently died.
“I can’t tell you how much I respected his work and to have him in ‘Top Gun’ and back for ‘Maverick.’ Thank you, Val. I wish you well on your next journey.”
(L to R) Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
From there, he enthused about ‘Mission’ writer/director Chris McQuarrie, with Cruise mentioning how long they’ve been collaborating (on the Ethan Hunt movies and beyond). He even joked that people think “McQ” (as Tom calls him) is Jonathan Lipnicki from ‘Jerry Maguire’ all grown up!
Cruise went on to talk about how the ‘Mission’ movies are a puzzle and a Rubik’s Cube made under intense pressure, living breathing things where endless discoveries are made in the process.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
They also discussed how Cruise brought McQuarrie in to rewrite scenes in ‘Ghost Protocol’ but didn’t tell Brad Bird or the rest of cast. Brad and Simon Pegg said on set, “who is this guy?” Tom replied, “That’s McQ”. Apparently McQuarrie came up with the “Blue is glue, red is dead” stunt scene on the spot in Dubai.
There was also time for Cruise to add that he’s looking forward to seeing ‘F1’ and his recollections of racing go-karts against friend Brad Pitt (who stars in that movie) while making ‘Interview with the Vampire’ together.
(L to R) Damson Idris and Brad Pitt in ‘F1’. Photo: Warner Bros. and Apple Original FIlms.
Switching tracks back to ‘Mission,’ Cruise stressed the challenges and importance of shooting in the pandemic, keeping crews working and the industry going.
“We were able to deliver these movies to theaters despite being shut down by pandemic and two strikes.”
Cruise then introduced McQuarrie himself, who strode on stage and quipped:
“Tom knows I can’t stand compliments, he’s enjoying this immensely…”
He’ll have to suffer more, as he’s receiving the Director of the Year award at the CinemaCon awards later.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
He offers that he was ready to quit the business, but Cruise saw potential in him.
Cruise: “I’m here today because if your vision and trust.”
And for McQ’s side:
“It’s been fun to work with you and put you in harm’s way for everyone’s pleasure.”
The new ‘Mission’ movie contains some of the most complex practical sequences on celluloid –– not that that should be surprising from these two.
(R to L) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Admitting that they’d be nowhere without audiences, Cruise introduced the new ‘Final Reckoning’ trailer, but not before name-checking every writer and director who has worked on the franchise so far, plus the executive likes of Sherry Lansing, Sumner Redstone and Paula Wagner too.
Then, it was time for the trailer itself, which sometimes felt like an expanded version of the teaser that arrived last year.
Lots of Ethan Hunt action (of course!) with Tom leaping off and onto things, plus a look at some newer cast members including Nick Offerman and Janet McTeer. It also serves as a love-letter to the whole franchise.
(L to R) Nick Offerman, Charles Parnell, Angela Bassett, Mark Gatiss and Janet McTeer in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Indeed, the ‘Mission’ portion of the presentation felt like that too –– while no one said directly it’s the end, this felt pretty final. Until they announce the next one, that is…
‘Mission: Impossible –– The Final Reckoning’ speeds into cinemas on May 23rd.
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And talking of finality, there ended the Paramount CinemaCon 2025 presentation!
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt and Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
(Left) Tom Cruise attends the Abu Dhabi Red Carpet and Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ presented by Paramount Pictures and Skydance at Emirates Palace Hotel on June 26, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Photo by Darren Arthur/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures. (Center) Henry Cavill is Agent Argylle in ‘Argylle,’ directed by Matthew Vaughn. (Right) Marion Cotillard in ‘Extrapolations,’ premiering March 17, 2023 on Apple TV+.
Preview:
Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill and Marion Cotillard may star in ‘Broadsword’.
It’s a World War II movie developed by ‘Mission: Impossible’ co-writer/director Christopher McQuarrie.
It may shoot before or after Cruise works with Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu.
While Tom Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie are still deep in finishing their latest ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie (for the record, that would be the eighth in the franchise, the follow-up to last year’s ‘Dead Reckoning’ and one that has seen its release date pushed several times for various reasons), they also have one eye on the future and collaborations outside of the world of Ethan Hunt and the IMF.
Once McQuarrie has finished getting the next ‘Mission’ movie in shape for its May 2025 release, it appears he’s ready to switch things up while still having Cruise star.
The filmmaker has been putting together a new script, set in World War II, with ‘Dead Reckoning’/eighth ‘Mission’ co-writer Erik Jendresen, and according to World of Reel, it’s called ‘Broadsword’.
Henry Cavill in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’. Photo: Daniel Smith.
The new movie is reportedly the story of an S.O.E. (Special Operations Executive, an underground army battling the enemy in Europe and Asia) operation in World War II. It follows a marine captain who crashes in France and becomes the sole survivor. Against all odds, he must complete his mission amidst the chaos of war.
Cavill, of course, has some experience with covert World War II operations thanks to starring in this year’s ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ for director Guy Ritchie. Cotillard, meanwhile appeared in ‘Allied,’ and Cruise in ‘Valkyrie‘, which McQuarrie wrote.
What has McQuarrie said about the movie?
Christopher McQuarrie, writer and director of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’
Speaking on one of several mammoth Empire Spoiler Special podcasts for the release of ‘Dead Reckoning’, this is what McQuarrie said about the new movie:
“There’s a movie that Cruise and I are talking about doing next or in some probable next, that Erik and I developed together –– what has been referred to on the internet as ‘The Gnarly Movie’. It’s that movie that they’re all asking for, and that we want to do.”
When can we expect ‘Broadsword’ to shoot?
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
It’s anyone’s guess at this point, though Production Weekly, ‘Broadsword’ will shoot next year. Cruise has been in talks with ‘Birdman’ Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu to star in his next movie, so it’s possible that will happen next, followed by ‘Broadsword’. And if recent chatter from Glen Powell is to be believed, there is a looming (though not immediate) start date for another ‘Top Gun’ movie too in our collective future too.
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‘Broadsword’ will be produced and distributed by Warner Bros. under its recent deal with Cruise, so naturally the studio will want to move on this as soon as possible. Does that mean Ethan Hunt and the team taking a break for a while? It certainly could –– but that means we get the chance to miss their crazy action antics.
And let’s not forget that the next ‘Mission’ movie isn’t too far away after all –– it’ll hit theaters on May 23rd next year.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One ‘from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Preview:
Tom Cruise will help bridge the Paris and Los Angeles Olympics.
He’s already shot the L.A. portion, which also features James Corden.
The event will be part of the closing ceremony for Paris on August 11th.
Tom Cruise, it would seem, rarely misses a chance to pull off an audacious stunt. The actor, who has become famous for the death-defying action of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies in particular, has now pitched the International Olympic Committee about a stunt sequence to bridge the gap between the current Paris Olympics and the next summer event, to be held in Los Angeles in 2028.
While the planned ceremony already includes the more traditional handing off of the Olympic Flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, it will also now feature the 62-year-old actor in a stunt sequence to celebrate the transition between two cities as part of the closing ceremony in Paris on August 11th.
It’s perhaps not the biggest surprise from Cruise, who might naturally be expected to help celebrate LA, and the fact that he’s a big Olympics fan, attending the opening ceremony in Paris and several events.
Tom Cruise in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout.’
According to TMZ, the plan for the upcoming Closing Ceremony involves Tom (or possibly a stunt double, as negotiations for this segment are still underway) rappelling down from the top of Stade de France, landing on the stadium field and carrying the official Olympic flag.
We will then cut to pre-recorded footage of Cruise shot in March, jumping out of a plane to skydive down to the Hollywood sign in the company of former ‘Late Late Show’ host James Corden.
After that, it’ll apparently show Cruise passing the flag to Olympians –– including a cyclist, skateboarder and volleyball player –– as they make their way around the next host city for the Summer Games.
We’re told to expect a “major Hollywood production”, though given Cruise’s presence, that perhaps comes with the territory. And might it signal that his regular collaborator Christopher McQuarrie –– who has also been attending events with his friend –– could oversee the opening ceremony for the L.A. event as fellow filmmaker Danny Boyle did for London in 2012? We’d doubt it; McQuarrie’s schedule is already jam-packed with movies, including finishing the latest ‘Mission: Impossible’ outing for release next year.
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When will the Los Angeles Olympics happen?
Olympic flag. Photo: Olympics.com.
The next Summer Olympics are due to be staged in Los Angeles between Friday, July 14th and Sunday, July 30th, 2028.
L.A. will likely kick off the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad at a venue built for the 1932 event: the Coliseum. It will be part of what LA28 organizers are calling the Downtown Sports Park, a collection of venues that includes Crypto.com Arena, the Convention Center, the L.A. Football Club Stadium, USC’s Galen Center and the Peacock Theater.
Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Tom Cruise on the set of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Preview:
Tom Cruise and Paramount are developing a third ‘Top Gun’ movie.
Ehren Kruger is writing the script.
Little else is known about the new movie beyond Joseph Kosinski once more likely to direct.
While the biggest news surrounding Tom Cruise this week has been word of him agreeing a deal to produce and appear in movies for Warner Bros., that was not going to be at the expense of his work with Paramount.
After all, he and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie are still deep in making the eighth (and currently untitled) ‘Mission Impossible’ movie, which is set for release next year.
And based on a new report from Puck, he could be taking to the skies again for a third ‘Top Gun’ movie to follow the hugely successful ‘Maverick’ in 2022.
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What’s the story of the new ‘Top Gun’?
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
As of right now, there’s no script, so no one has any idea of what might happen in the new movie. But we can expect to see Cruise back as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the veteran pilot who was brought in for ‘Maverick’ to teach some cocky younger pilots how to fly a tricky mission.
What he’ll be up to next time is anyone’s guess, but we’d guess he’ll still be pushing back against authority and living by his own rules.
Monica Barbaro and Tom Cruise on the set of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Ehren Kruger, who was one of several writers on ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is aboard to work on the first draft of the script, but you’ve got to figure that Cruise’s regular creative collaborator McQuarrie, who helped land the last movie from a writing and producing front, will also have a hand.
As for a director, ‘Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski may well return, because reuniting the team feels like the best idea if the studio wants to replicate the success.
In front of the camera, there’s talk of Miles Teller (who played Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Mitchell’s deceased old friend and radar intercept officer, who harbored a grudge against our hero) and Glen Powell (as cocky pilot Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin) coming back for more flight action. Given how audiences responded, particularly to Hangman, that would be a good move.
When will a new ‘Top Gun’ movie fly on to screens?
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Don’t go expecting this one any time soon. It took years to crack ‘Maverick’ and given Cruise’s busy schedule (beyond finishing the next ‘Mission: Impossible’, he has several other movies on his to do list), it could be at least a couple of years before this one is filming, let alone jumping off the cinematic deck and shoving into overdrive.
So if you’re waiting for Maverick and co to buzz the cine-tower, you’re going to have to be patient.
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Preview
The actors’ strike means ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ won’t be ready for next year.
The next ‘Mission’ movie is shifting to Memorial Day weekend 2025.
With that change, other Paramount movies are changing dates, including ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’.
The cavalcade of movies being delayed because of the ongoing actors’ strike continues. We recently brought word that ‘Deadpool 3’ was joining the list of movies going into release limbo, and now ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ is facing another date change.
Work on the two ‘Mission’ movies (‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ finally arrived this year to somewhat disappointing box office figures) has been packed with problems –– especially the Covid-19 pandemic, which shut down shooting almost immediately.
Despite heroic attempts to keep it going, more delays and problems cropped up. And, of course, with SAG-AFTRA members on strike, that means that the cast cannot work on the film until the issue is resolved.
Unlike other movies, which have the potential to gear back up quickly once the strike is resolved, ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ has a lot of footage left to shoot and requires globe-trotting travel, multiple crews and huge logistical planning.
While ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ was scheduled for June 28th next year, it’s now shifted to May 23, 2025, Paramount likely hoping that the Memorial Day weekend will offer a prime opportunity to lure in audiences. It means (barring other movies shifting to the same period) ready access to IMAX screens and a historically successful spot for Cruise movies following ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ last year.
So now we can add industrial action to Covid on the list of obstacles that Tom Cruise cannot hurdle.
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When was ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ originally to be released?
(L to R) Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
This is far from the first release date change for the movie, which was originally scheduled for August 5th, 2022, but was then delayed to November 4th of that year. Yet the tough production schedule meant more changes.
At one point, it was dated for July 7th of this year, before setting its most recent slot. And now, we’ll have to wait even longer. But knowing Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie and co., it’ll be worth our patience.
(L-R) Noah Jupe and director John Krasinski and on the set of Paramount Pictures’ “A Quiet Place Part II.”
‘Mission’s arrival in May 2025 punts Paramount’s latest animated ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ movie (which has yet to confirm a title) to December 19th of that year, which unfortunately puts it squarely in the crosshairs of the third ‘Avatar’ movie.
With the June 28th slot opening up next year, Paramount is shifting horror thriller prequel ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ from its planned March launch to that date. The film, which stars Lupita Nyong’o, is set on the day the sound-hunting aliens arrive and start causing chaos.
Elsewhere, John Krasinski’s latest directorial effort ‘IF’, starring Ryan Reynolds, is moving a week from May 24th to May 17th.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One ‘from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ Franchise:
Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are back for another dangerous mission – to track down and prevent a new weapon known as “The Entity” from destroying humanity if it were to fall into the wrong hands. While hunting down the new weapon, Ethan’s dark past catches up with him and threatens the lives of those close to him.
This is the seventh installment in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, with the first film premiering in 1996. With each ‘Mission: Impossible’ film, stunts are wilder, and the missions more precarious. Tom Cruise continues to elevate each movie by performing the incredible stunts himself, from executing the Halo jump in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ in 2018, to the deathy-defying motorcycle jump off the cliff in the latest film – a scene that render the audience speechless.
As a part of an extremely successful franchise, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ was a highly anticipated film, garnering a 96% scores from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and 94% score from the audience.
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The official synopsis for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ is below:
“In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission — not even the lives of those he cares about most.”
Who Is In The Cast of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’?
(L to R) Hayley Atwell and Esai Morales in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
It’s clear that ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ was a must-watch for fans of the franchise. Having played Ethan Hunt for 25 years, audience can always expect Tom Cruise to deliver – from acting to action. The film has a production cost of $300 million, due to its large cast and extravagant stunt sequences. Despite the anticipation, the film opened to $54.6 million domestically, which falls short of its predecessors. 2018’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ opened to $61.2 million domistically and has grossed $220.1million, and 2015’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ opened to $55.5 million.
Box office powerhouse films ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ may have affected the box office earning for ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ as both films were released on July 21, 2023, setting the “Barbieheimer” trend amongst moviegoers as they plan a double feature.
When Will ‘Mission – Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One’ Come To Streaming?
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
The spy thriller premiered in Rome on June 19, 2023, and was released in theaters domestically on July 12, 2023. It was released in formats such as Dolby Cinema, IMAX, ScreenX, and 4DX. The film is still playing in theaters, and due to its extraordinary stunt sequences, best experienced on the big screen.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ has a total runtime of 2 hour and 43 minutes.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ below:
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The movie is released by Paramount Pictures, which means it’s likely to end up on its streaming service Paramount+ when it is ready to go to streaming. For VOD release, no date has confirmed though pre-order is available for platforms such as Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube, and Vudu.
(L to R) Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Rebecca Ferguson in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One:’
To watch our exclusive interviews with director Christopher McQuarrie and the cast of ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One, please click on the video player below.
Julia Roberts in Universal Pictures’ ‘Ticket to Paradise.’
While it might not have been as big a box office success as ‘Barbie’ or ‘Oppenheimer’, plenty of people have been to see ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’. And if you’re among them, chances are you’ll have seen an early scene set years before Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is part of the Impossible Mission Force.
The scene takes place largely in shadow, because while writer/director Christopher McQuarrie considered using the sort of de-aging technology as employed by movies such as ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ he ultimately rejected the idea, thinking it would be distracting.
Christopher McQuarrie, writer and director of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’
Originally, McQuarrie had thought to include another huge superstar besides Cruise in the sequence.
Here’s what McQuarrie said of the initial idea:
“I said, ‘OK, if I were doing this sequence, it would be Tom in, say, 1989. It would be Tony Scott’s ‘Mission: Impossible.’ That’s who would have been directing the movie before Brian De Palma, you know, in that era. We looked at ‘Days of Thunder’ and we looked at the style of it, and we started thinking what would it look like if Tony Scott had shot this, and who would it have been? I looked back at who was the ingenue, who was the breakout star in 1989? And right around then was ‘Mystic Pizza’. And I was like, ‘Oh my God. Julia Roberts, a then-pre-‘Pretty Woman‘ Julia Roberts, as this young woman.’”
Ultimately, he decided that it didn’t make sense for the budget:
“The only way I could have seen doing the sequence justice [using de-aging] was to somehow convince Julia Roberts to come in and be this small role at the beginning of this story. And of course, as you’re conceptually going through it, you’re like, ‘Now all anybody’s going to be doing is thinking about the de-aging of Julia Roberts, and Esai (Morales) and Tom, and Henry Czerny.’ I got the bill for de-aging those people before their salaries were even factored into it. And if you put two of them in a shot together, or three of them in a shot together, it would have been as expensive as the train [sequence that ends the movie] by the time we were done. It was so… the force multiplier of — and the way we shoot scenes, and the fluidity, and the camera movement. And of course, that wouldn’t be the style of the movie in 1989. That wouldn’t make sense if you were shooting an ’89 ‘Mission’ like a 2023 ‘Mission.’”
Given how expensive ‘Dead Reckoning’ already was given covid complications and delays in shooting, you can see why he might have been less willing to spend that money.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ is in theaters now.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One:’
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ is produced by Paramount, Skydance Media, New Republic Pictures, and TC Productions. The movie is scheduled to release in theaters on July 12th, 2023.
