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:
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.
What is the plot of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’?
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’?
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ delivers exactly what we’ve come to expect from director Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies. The film is fun, exciting, action-packed, and features some of the craziest stunts you’ve ever seen on the big screen. Cruise is commanding once again as Ethan Hunt, and Hayley Atwell is a fantastic addition to the franchise.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Unlike the last few ‘Mission’ movies, ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ does not begin with a one-off scene of Tom Cruise hanging off a mountain or the wing of a moving plane, instead focusing on a Russian submarine malfunction that sets off the plot of the movie. We soon discover that a new self-aware AI is threatening to throw the world into chaos, and it’s up to Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team to track down a key (the film’s McGuffin) that can control the AI. But first, they’ll need to discover what the key actually unlocks, and who is working with the AI, also known as the Entity.
Things get more complicated for Hunt when he is labeled a terrorist by his old boss, Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) after refusing to give half of the key to the US government, as Hunt believes it is too dangerous to exist and must be destroyed. Hunt secured his half of the key from his alley Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), and goes to meet a buyer who has the other half of the key, planning to follow them to the Entity.
However, when a pickpocket named Grace (Hayley Atwell) steals both halves of the key, Ethan has no choice but to recruit her for his team and train her to help him. Meanwhile, Hunt discovers that a man from his past before joining the IMF, Gabriel (Esai Morales), is working with the entity and has a personal vendetta against him.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Henry Czerny in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
In my opinion, the ‘Mission’ franchise was on shaky ground until director Christopher McQuarrie joined the series. Brian De Palma’s ‘Mission: Impossible’ was a decent adaption of the classic TV series, but was not without its issues. John Woo’s ‘Mission: Impossible II’ was a huge disappointment, and the worst film in the series. Director J.J. Abrams feature film debut, ‘Mission: Impossible III’ is criminally underrated and one of the better films in the series, but failed to have the box office numbers of its predecessors.
While the film runs well over 2 and a half hours, McQuarrie does an excellent job of pacing the movie and keeping the “Mission” tone intact. This film, and in turn next year’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’ are a much bigger story than we’ve seen in past installments, which is why it will take two movies to tell the entire story. But with that said, McQuarrie still manages to craft a satisfying ending to ‘Part One,’ even if it is not the conclusion of this particular story.
Tom Cruise’s Performance and his Amazing Stunts
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One ‘from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
By now, half of the fun of a ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie is seeing what absolutely bonkers stunts McQuarrie, Cruise and their stunt team come up with, and ‘Dead Reckoning’ does not disappoint. Cruise released a video last year that demonstrated one of the stunts that he would be performing in the new film, which saw him driving a motorcycle off a mountain and then parachuting to the ground. Many fans thought that it would be the signature stunt of the film, and while it is certainly impressive, the movie has even more incredible stunts than that. There is a fantastic chase scene in Rome, but the real attraction is an unbelievable train sequence that is the centerpiece of the ending and one of the best action sequences I’ve ever seen. It will truly keep you on the edge of your seat.
Cruise has been playing Ethan Hunt for over twenty-five years, and while some might say Maverick from ‘Top Gun’ is his signature character, at this point its’ got to be Hunt, who Cruise has portrayed more than any other character. The evolution of the character, and Cruise as an actor, can be witnessed over these seven movies. In the first ‘Mission: Impossible,’ Ethan Hunt was a fresh-faced IMF member betrayed by his boss, Jim Phelps (Jon Voight). He would later become IMF’s greatest team leader, creating deep friendships with Luther, Benji, and Elsa. Watching those relationships grow and seeing how they’ve changed Ethan from who he was when we first met him, is one of the joys of ‘Dead Reckoning.’
Cruise gives another powerhouse performance and is absolutely commanding as Hunt. It’s hard sometimes to tell the difference between Tom Cruise and Ethan Hunt, but the character is so charming, it doesn’t really matter if you are rooting for him or the actor playing him. We’ve grown up with Ethan Hunt, and Tom Cruise for that matter, and part of his power as an actor is that he is just so likable. ‘Top Gun’ aside, ‘Mission: Impossible’ is Cruise’s best franchise overall and Ethan Hunt is definitely the character he will be best remembered for most. Cruise has great chemistry with Rhames, Pegg, and especially Ferguson, but is also great aside new co-star Hayley Atwell. As for the action sequences, no one does it like Tom Cruise, and the actor has pushed the boundaries for our entertainment one more time.
Returning Characters
(L to R) Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Ving Rhames has been a part of the franchise since the beginning, just like Cruise, and it just wouldn’t be a ‘Mission’ movie without him. The actor has some very nice emotional scenes with Cruise and Atwell, and as always a funny rapport with Simon Pegg. For his part, Benji has also become a vital element of the ‘Mission’ formula, joining the series in the third installment, and Pegg has grown into the role well bringing his own charm and humor to the franchise. A more recent but equally important addition to the series is Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust. The movie explores her deep connection to Hunt, and her scenes with Cruise are some of the most emotionally packed of the film.
Vanessa Kirby also returns as the “White Widow,” daughter of “Max” (Vanessa Redgrave) from the first movie. She has a funny exchange with Cruise, but is mostly used in the third act. I won’t spoil her role, but as an actor she has a challenging scene to play and really made it work. But the most surprising returning face belongs to actor Henry Czerny, who plays former director of the IMF, Eugene Kittridge, last seen in the very first ‘Mission: Impossible.’ Kittridge was always a foil for Hunt, and their respectful yet antagonistic attitude towards each other is fun to watch on screen. Czerny is great in the role and it nice to see him back in the franchise.
Hayley Atwell in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Hayley Atwell plays Ethan Hunt’s latest recruit, a thief named Grace, and is absolutely mesmerizing in the role. If it’s possible to steal a scene from Tom Cruise, then Atwell succeeds with her charming and street-smart yet sophisticated character. Best known for playing Captain America’s girlfriend Peggy Carter in several different MCU projects, it’s nice to see the actress finally get a chance to show off her talents. Atwell totally holds her own against Cruise, and the two have a very nice chemistry together. Grace is a complex character, you never really know who’s side she’s on, and Atwell navigates that with confidence.
Also new to the franchise is ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3’s Pom Klementieff who plays Paris, one of Gabriel’s assassins. The actress is obviously having a blast in the role and its super fun watching her smash cars and shoot machine guns while smiling and laughing in-character. Klementieff is great in the action sequences and creates an interesting and appealing character, one that I hope we see more of from the franchise in the future.
The Villains
(L to R) Esai Morales and Pom Klementieff in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Esai Morales plays the main villain, Gabriel and while it’s great to see the veteran actor get such a large role in a big franchise, his character doesn’t quite work. We’re told he’s from Ethan’s past and responsible for some tragedy, but except for a few quick flashbacks, this is not really explored or resolved in this movie. It will probably be addressed in ‘Part Two,’ but more clarification in this film who have helped the audience to better understand Gabriel’s motivations. Morales is fine for the most part, and very impressive in his action sequences, but overall, the character wasn’t believable as Ethan’s archrival.
The other villain related disappointment comes from the fact that the Entity is really the big bad of the movie. That’s right … a computer! I really hope that an actual human being is revealed as the true villain in the next movie, because as realistic as it might be n 2023, I just can’t buy artificial intelligence as the ultimate villain of the movie. Sorry, but I don’t want to see ‘Ethan Hunt v. Skynet.’ I know that there are inherently sci-fi elements baked into ‘Mission: Impossible’ going all the way back to the original series, but for me this is a spy series first, like an American version of James Bond (which arguably also had sci-fi elements) and should stick to its lane because it does spy thrillers really well.
Too Much Joking Around
(L to R) Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
The ‘Mission: Impossible’ series has always been fun and had a certain amount of humor to it. But for some reason, about half way through ‘Dead Reckoning,’ there are several bad jokes injected into the action. For example, in Rome, Hunt and Grace steal a Fiat while being chased. When Hunt tries to start the car, it won’t start, and he begins apologizing to Grace saying, “I don’t know what happened. This never happens to me.” First of all, Ethan Hunt should never apologize for anything … he’s Ethan Hunt! Secondly, it seemed like an awkward attempt at some kind of weird sexual innuendo and it’s just out of place for the franchise and off brand for Tom Cruise.
Only Half of the Story
Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
I’ll give ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ credit for at least explaining in the title that this movie will be continued. I know a lot of people that went to see both ‘Fast X’ and ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ and were disappointed to find that those movies didn’t really end, and they’ll have to wait to see the conclusion of those stories. While I’m sure the ‘Part One’ in the title will help with audience’s expectations of the ending, the truth is that this movie only tells half of a story. Again, McQuarrie did a great job with the ending, it feels satisfying and doesn’t end on a huge cliffhanger, even if we will have to wait till next year’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’ to see the actual conclusion of the story.
But I do wonder if this story couldn’t have been told in one movie, as a lot of the action sequences go on longer than needed. If you cut some of the action, you could fit in more of the story, but with a franchise like this where the action is so important, I guess it’s better to tell a story over two films so you can afford the luxury of more action without sacrificing the character development and plot.
Final Thoughts
In the end, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ is a solid entry to the franchise and on par with Christopher McQuarrie’s previous contributions to the series. Tom Cruise is at the height of his power, returning to his signature character and a series of groundbreaking and death-defying stunts, while Hayley Atwell is delightful as the newest addition to the franchise.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ receives 8.5 out of 10 stars.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ will be in theaters on July 14th, 2023.
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.
Long gone are the days when we had to wait for home entertainment to see “Making Of” videos explaining how filmmakers pulled off amazing stunts or effects sequences.
These days, they’re out before the film itself arrives.
And if you’re Tom Cruise, you don’t have the patience to hold off until the year the movie lands, let alone the month or week. Hence a new look online at the extensive preparation behind one of the keynote stunts of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’, which will see his character, daredevil agent Ethan Hunt, sailing over a cliff on a motorbike and launching himself into the sky for a BASE jump.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ will be in theaters on July 14th, 2023.
He might not have the patience to wait and show off the team behind the stunt, but Cruise certainly has it to make sure the sequence goes flawlessly––and with good reason, because no one wants to see him pancaked on the ground.
Least of all writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, who can be seen in the video visibly aging as Cruise pulls off his latest wild activity.
Which means we’re treated to an extensive exploration of what goes into a sequence such as this––in this case, much stunt bike training, test jumps and even microchip-linked drones which accurately record his distance, velocity, and angles so all involved can make sure it’s worked out properly.
And the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies could certainly use the good publicity after a couple of years that have seen them hit with pandemic filming delays and all sorts of issues as the mammoth shoot continued (and continues).
(L to R) Holt McCallany, Henry Czerny, and Nick Offerman in Paramount’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.’
We still don’t know exactly what the story will be this time (besides the obvious opportunities for Ethan Hunt to run/drive/jump off/into/out of things), besides hints that his past will be coming back to haunt him––particularly since old enemy Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) is back from the original ‘M:I’ movie way back in 1996.
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Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
In related Cruise news, he also took time out from flying around to thank fans who showed up in droves and helped make ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ one of the biggest hits of the year.
But far from simply standing in front of a poster of the film (or in front of some pretty location where he’s still currently filming the two new ‘Mission’ movies), he chose to do it in his inimitable style––jumping out of a plane. Seems fitting, we suppose…
(L to R) Tome Cruise, director Christopher McQuarrie, and Rebecca Ferguson on the set of Paramount’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout.’
After spending the last couple of years hard at work on two ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies to continue the successful franchise, you’d think that Tom Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie might want to spend some time doing other things than putting their life at risk (Cruise) and worrying about the risk to Cruise’s life (McQuarrie).
Yet the pair – who have been creative partners since ‘Valkyrie’ – show no sign of stopping working together. In fact, they have plans for more movies once the next two ‘Missions’ are complete. And if Deadline’s new report is to be believed, it’ll see them heading off in new directions.
Flying high on the success of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (which Cruise starred in and produced and McQuarrie produced/script polished), the pair has been busy making the next Ethan Hunt adventures. But after that? There are some options.
Talk flew last week after McQuarrie appeared on the ‘Light The Fuse’ podcast and hinted at something new for the pair, though still in the action genre.
“It’s kind of under wraps,” McQuarrie said. “It has neither a fuse nor a fuselage. Oh that’s not true… It does have some fuselages. It’s something we’ve talked about for a really long time. It’s way outside of what you’re used to seeing Tom do. It’s the kind of stuff I really love. It’s a little bit more in my wheelhouse. And yet it takes everything we’ve learned on this journey, which is making movies more and more about emotion and real emotional experiences. That’s what you’re feeling when you’re watching ‘Top Gun’; it’s me and Tom squeezing your adrenals for every emotion. Now we’re applying that to something that is gnarlier.”
Tom Cruise in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout.’
It’s hard to imagine something gnarlier than the stuff Cruise gets up to on a ‘Mission’ movie these days, but we’re excited to see that.
Expanding on that, Deadline mentions that the pair is also looking to work on a movie musical, a song-and-dance affair that would allow Cruise to show off his performing chops (as seen, singing-wise, at least, in ‘Rock of Ages’).
And there’s also the sweary, brusque studio executive Les Grossman that Cruise played in ‘Tropic Thunder’. The duo are said to be fixated on bringing Grossman back somehow (sounds like Cruise enjoyed reviving one of his previous characters for ‘Maverick’ and might be up to do it for this one). And, lest (or Les) we forget? Grossman has some dance moves of his own.
Before any of that, though, the two have their eyes on space. Cruise is still planning to shoot a movie in low Earth orbit on a new addition to the International Space Station with the support of NASA and SpaceX. That has Doug Liman attached to direct, while McQuarrie would produce.
(L to R) Holt McCallany, Henry Czerny, and Nick Offerman in Paramount’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.’
It might seem as though the next two ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies should already be in the can by now, but given Covid delays and cast scheduling, the cameras are indeed still cranking on ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’, the eighth instalment.
That’s not all – both McQuarrie and Offerman (virtually) stopped by the Light The Fuse Podcast to discuss the actor’s experience on the movie.
“Nick is quite literally drinking from the firehose, getting his first full bore ‘Mission: Impossible’ seeing-how-the-sausage-is-made,” McQuarrie said.
“It’s really fun and fascinating. There’s a handful of very high caliber actors that I’m getting to work with as well as the lead guy, and getting to toss the ball around is incredible,” Offerman explained. “Getting to watch them deal with the fire hose technique is fascinating, because everybody brings a great deal of elan and panache and years of experience. And watching McQ and Tom do their thing, you can’t really describe it to people. You have to be there. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like they’re painting an incredible mural and we’re all the paints.”
The full episode of the podcast lands on Wednesday, but you can hear a preview here.
(L to R) Mark Gatiss, Janet McTeer, and Charles Parnell in Paramount’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.’
No word on whom Offerman or McTeer are playing, though they could be government/military types – Offerman’s character is pictured alongside Holt McCallany, who we know is playing the Secretary of Defense, and what looks to be Henry Czerny, returning from the original ‘Mission: Impossible’ as Eugene Kittridge.
The plot of the next two ‘Mission’ movies is still a closely-guarded secret, though from the first teaser, we did get some hints. The return of Kittridge points to more trouble from within the Impossible Mission Force, as Kittridge is giving off real villain vibes. He tells Ethan Hunt he’s effectively on the wrong side of history and that the “ideals” he’s been fighting for don’t exist. There are shots of people being gassed with a mysterious green substance, explosions and all manner of chases.
And, of course, there are massive stunts, which as per usual, represent Tom Cruise putting his life on the line to up the spectacle with each movie.
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout,’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
It might boast one of the biggest movie stars left in the world – also known as Mr. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in its stable -but Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation didn’t quite match the scale of some of the other studios preceding it on the schedule.
Still, Paramount did have some news to share, with Cruise sending a video from (because of course) a plane above South Africa where he’s busy filming the eighth ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie. Which is fitting, because the big announcement from Paramount is that the seventh ‘Mission’ movie is called ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’.
We do know that the two movies are supposed to be connected, and the title gives ominous feelings as to what could be happening to heroic agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise). Still, this is a man who has cheated death many times over, so don’t count him out just yet.
“Let’s all try to have a great summer. See you at the movies!” Cruise exclaimed before his plane plummeted into a canyon (it was all part of a bit, he’s fine as usual). He introduced the first look at a teaser for ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ and the entirety of his latest movie, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. While no direct mention was made, there’s a good chance the ‘Mission’ trailer will be attached to ‘Maverick’ when the long-awaited ‘Top Gun’ sequel touches down on May 27th.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ arrives in theaters on July 14th next year, followed by the eighth film on June 28th, 2024.
(L to R) Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Sonic (Ben Schwartz) in ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ from Paramount Pictures and Sega.
Paramount has been having a good year in terms of box office so far – with movies including ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ ‘Jackass Forever’ and ‘Scream’ topping the charts upon release and making money.
“When I started this job six months ago, I was asked what do I think the business will be in a post-pandemic world?” studio chief Brian Robbins told the crowd. “What I responded was pretty much exactly what Paramount looked like so far this year. All four of our releases this year have opened to No. 1 at the box office and with ‘Top Gun’ we think we have a really good shot at making it five for five. None of this would have been possible if we had not doubled down in our faith in our release dates.”
In lieu of bringing up separate filmmakers and actors to introduce its upcoming batch of releases (probably because screening ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ ate up much of the time), the studio showed a sizzle reel.
‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ will open in theaters on March 3rd, 2023.
Also shown? Footage from ‘La La Land’ director Damien Chazelle’s new jazz-era old-Hollywood drama. Margot Robbie stars as an anxious actress, demanding her close-up, intoning, “You don’t become a star, you either are one or you ain’t.”
And the new ‘Mission’ wasn’t the only title announced by Paramount: we now know that the ‘A Quiet Place’ spin-off, to be directed by ‘Pig’s Michael Sarnoski, will be called ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’, and, as the name suggests, is a prequel.
It’ll explore a family other than the usual Abbots of the first two main ‘Quiet Place’ movies trying to survive on the day the aliens first arrive – which was briefly show in the dramatic opening to ‘A Quiet Place Part II’.
‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ will be in theaters on September 23rd next year. ‘Quiet Place’ overseer John Krasinski is also developing a third main movie, though no details were offered.
(L-R) Noah Jupe and director John Krasinski and on the set of Paramount Pictures’ “A Quiet Place Part II.”
