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‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ Interview: Rolf Saxon
Rolf Saxon plays William Donloe in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Spoiler Alert: This article contains some spoilers for ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’

Opening in theaters on May 23rd is the final ‘Mission: Impossible’ film entitled ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘, which is once again directed by Christopher McQuarrie (‘Jack Reacher’) and stars Tom Cruise (‘Top Gun’).

In addition to Cruise, the movie features returning franchise actors Hayley Atwell (‘Captain America: The First Avenger’), Ving Rhames (‘Pulp Fiction’), Simon Pegg (‘Star Trek’), Pom Klementieff (‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’), Angela Bassett (‘Black Panther’), Shea Whigham (‘Joker’), Greg Tarzan Davis (‘Top Gun: Maverick’), Henry Czerny (‘Scream VI’), and Esai Morales (‘La Bamba’).

Also returning to the franchise is actor Rolf Saxon (‘Saving Private Ryan’), who played William Donloe in 1996’s ‘Mission: Impossible’. He was the CIA analyst that Ethan Hunt (Cruise) stole the NOC list from in that famous scene from the first movie.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Rolf Saxon about his work on ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’. The actor discussed returning to the franchise, his character’s pivotal role in the story, how the script changed on set, creating his backstory, reuniting with Tom Cruise, how he was cast in the original, what it was like appearing in that film’s iconic scene, his admiration for the legacy of the franchise and Cruise’s stunt work, and what it means to him to be part of one of the most popular franchises in cinematic history.

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’

Rolf Saxon plays William Donloe in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Russell Baer.

Moviefone: To begin with, how did you find out that you would be returning for ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ and were you surprised to get a call 30 years after filming the first movie?

Rolf Saxon: Honestly, I thought it was a joke. I thought a friend of mine in Scotland was winding me up. Suddenly, I get an email to meet Christopher McQuarrie, and I see the address and I think, “Oh, that’s good, man. I’m going to owe you big time on this one, dude.” So, I’m in a t-shirt with a glass of wine and McQuarrie comes up and it’s like, “What? Wait, what?” I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about it. It was insane. He offered me the job within about three minutes, and he spent the next hour telling me what he thought. I couldn’t even joke about, “Oh, let me think about it, Chris. I might do this. I might not.” I just went for it. I thought it was a joke, and it wasn’t. So, I’m still having difficulty with this. No kidding. I had two lines, maybe three minutes on screen in the first movie and suddenly I’m doing this. Unbelievable.

MF: When it was announced that you would be returning, many thought it would be just a cameo, but your character plays a pivotal role in the story of the film. Was it always designed to be like that or did your part grow through production?

RS: Two things. One, Chris works in a very improvisational way. When I first came on board, it was a very different concept. Not hugely, I mean, it was still the same thing, but the way I was introduced was one way when we started filming, and then they decided to change an integral part of the story structure. So, that had to be readjusted. With that came a further readjustment. I was put in act three of the film. Again, this job has been like that for me. It’s like, “Wait, what? Seriously are you winding me up now? Is this a joke?” With Chris, I realized very soon, he doesn’t joke about stuff like that ever. Never. So, when he says something like that, it’s like, “This is wonderful.” I mean, I don’t know what his original concept of it was, to be honest with you. There was no script that I could read. It was just what he was telling me. That’s what I was going on. Then, as I said, we started filming it, and then we changed it. He then said, “We’re going to do something here and there, and we’re going to do this now.”

(L to R) Greg Tarzan Davis, Christopher McQuarrie, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Simon Pegg, Rolf Saxon, Pom Klementieff and Hayley Atwell on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: A lot of time has passed since the last time we saw your character, and some of that is explained in the movie but did you create a backstory for yourself so you would understand how he got to this point in his life?

RS: Christopher was clear on what he wanted. As an actor, when one gets that kind of direction, it’s up to us to sort through that. Because of this, the energy and the positivity that’s around that just permeated that set. When someone said something like that, instead of like, “How am I going to do this?” It’s like, “Okay, this is cool. This is great.” It’s much more proactive. You’re not on the back foot so much, you’re on the front foot. I love that and that wasn’t a fluke that from day one to the last day for me was like that. So yeah, we worked, Chris and I talked a lot about what it was going to be, and then Lucy (Tulugarjuk) came on board. When she came on board, we did some more chatting about it. Then it was just a matter of making it work with what he was presenting us.

MF: You had only one scene with both Henry Czerny and Tom Cruise in the first movie, but you didn’t have any speaking lines in those scenes. What was it like to reunite with both of those actors on this movie and get to act opposite them this time around?

RS: Yeah, it was great. I mean, to get to act with Tom Cruise, again, it sounds a little bit fan-like, but it was brilliant, man. I mean, it was great. He brings, again, an energy and a positive focus that, there’s only one Tom Cruise. That’s it. There’s a reason for that. I got to experience it, which was wonderful. Henry, I met on set, but before we started working together, and it’s the first time I’d seen him in 30 years, I walked up to him and I said, “Hey, listen, I just want to say, no hard feelings.” He looked at me, and then he just started laughing. He’s got a great sense of humor. We’ve been tight since then. I mean, we get on very well. He’s a lot of fun.

(L to R) Hayley Atwell plays Grace, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn, Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Rolf Saxon plays William Donloe, Lucy Tulugarjuk plays Tapeesa, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas and Pom Klementieff plays Paris in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Can you talk about the first time you saw Tom Cruise again after all these years? Did he thank you for returning to the franchise?

RS: The first day I was brought on set just outside of London, to the studio. I was brought on just to see the set because there were two sound stages they were using. One of them was for a tunnel sequence that they had rebuilt where Luther (Ving Rhames) was working in that room. I was brought on to see it, meet a couple of heads of department and stuff. I came in around this corner and through this room, and there was Tom, the heads of department, and Christopher McQuarrie. I got this big round of applause, and Tom came up and hugged me. Simon Pegg was also there, who I’ve known for many years ago. I was made to feel so welcome immediately on the set. Tom just said, “Anything you need, let me know.” He’s not a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. He’s not that kind of Californian thing, but boy, he’s a hundred percent there.

MF: Can you talk about how you were cast in the first ‘Mission: Impossible’? Did you audition for director Brian De Palma?

RS: I was doing a David Mamet play, a tour. We’d done a theater, and it was very successful. So, we went on tour with it. I got a phone call from my agent saying they want to set up an audition for this movie. Tom Cruise is going to do ‘Mission: Impossible’. I said, “Like the TV series? This is going to be interesting.” So, I took a three-hour train ride and met them at Pinewood Studios. Brian (De Palma) was working at the time, so there was a little bit of a delay, and I had to be back for the curtain that night. So, I went in, I was there with him for about three minutes, and that was it. As I walked out, I turned to the casting director, and I said, “Well, that was a waste of time.” She said, “No, you were in there longer than anybody else. I think he really liked you.” I thought, “Yeah, right. Thanks. Appreciate it.” So, I got on the train back three hours just in time for the half hour call, and I got a message saying, “Phone your agent.” And I thought, “Oh, that’s cool. Okay.” So, I did the show. The next morning, I called my agent and he said, “Yeah, they’ve offered you the job. They want you to do it.” I said, “You’re kidding.” I was doing another film, a much better part, but they said they were going to work around it. So, I thought, “Okay, cool.” Of course, that film has completely disappeared. It’s funny how things work. That’s how I got that one. Again, this job has been like that from the get-go. A constant series of surprises, and very pleasant ones.

(L to R) Tom Cruise and Rolf Saxon in ‘Mission: Impossible’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: The scene from the first film where Ethan Hunt is stealing the NOC list and Tom Cruise is hanging from the ceiling above you has become one of the most popular scenes in cinematic history. How has it felt over the years to know you were part of such an iconic movie moment?

RS: Well, I’ll be honest with you, Jami. I had no idea of this. I mean, I saw myself in the movie, I’m critical of things I do. So, some of it I like, some of it I didn’t like. I’ve seen it, and all my friends and family say, “Oh, you’re brilliant.” They’re your friends and your family, what are they going to say, you stink? No. So, McQuarrie said what you’re saying, and I thought he was blowing smoke. When I came to London, I was in a hotel. I met a guy, I didn’t know him, but I could tell he was American. So, I said, “Hey, how are you doing?” We chatted for 30 seconds on an elevator ride, and then I didn’t see him again for a couple of days. The next time I saw him was on the set for ‘Mission: Impossible’. It was Greg Tarzan Davis. He looked at me and pointed and said, “Oh, my gosh, you are William Donloe.” Christopher was standing behind him. I thought, again, between the two of them, they’d worked this out. Tarzan said, “No, man. I suddenly realized you’re the guy.” He said, “You looked a little familiar. But I thought, it was just me.” He said, “That is a great scene. Everybody knows it.” To be honest with you, I still find that difficult to believe, the fact that I’m in it. It’s more to do with what Tom’s doing and the film, I’m in the background of it. So, while I am part of it, it’s a tiny little part. I’m ecstatic about it. Don’t get me wrong. I love being a part of it. It brought me back. So yeah, I’m very happy.

MF: What is your opinion of the direction the series has gone in since the first film, and Tom Cruise’s incredible dedication to the stunt work?

RS: I’ll be honest, this is not my genre of film. I’ve watched every single one of them. I watched the second one because I was in the first one. But it became very much, “I love these.” I love these films. They’re great fun. This is not my normal genre, what I normally watch. So, that says for me how good they are. I’m not someone who gravitates to this kind of thing, and I love them. I watch them as soon as they come out. What I think of the franchise, it’s grown and grown. I mean, when we did the first one, it was a gamble. Tom was taking a big chance, and it paid off. That’s before he was the Tom Cruise he is now. That could have failed. So, because of him and his guiding, and especially when Chris came on, I think the last four films, they’ve got a working relationship that just gets bigger and bigger. Technology has improved. They do amazing things with technology, except the stunts. There’s no technology there. There’s none. That’s all him. That, I think, is one of the major selling points of the film. You’re seeing a human being doing everything that he does. I mean, I wouldn’t train to do those stunts. No way. I have friends who are stunt performers, and one of them who is American guy, he’s been doing it for a long time, and he said he’s never met any stunt person who has a sense of physical space the way Tom Cruise does. He doesn’t get excited, or nervous. He gets problem-solving. He said, “I’ve never seen anybody do anything the way he’s doing this.” I thought, “Well, it makes perfect sense.” But stunts can go wrong, and stunts have gone wrong with him. He’s broken bones. He’s injured himself, but he’s never come close to dying. That is a mark of, I think, how good he is at this and his team around him. He gets the best in the world. He can do that, and it works.

Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Finally, you were in the first ‘Mission: Impossible’ and now you’re in the last. What does it mean to you personally to have been a part of one the most popular film franchises of all time?

RS: Again, it’s a gift. This from the outset has been a gift, an unknown gift in the beginning. I mean, this kind of thing, I suppose someone like Tom can do this kind of thing as an actor. He can say, “This is what I want to do,” but to be able to do that is a whole other thing. This was presented to me on a platter. I am fortunate that I’m the one it was presented to. Do you know what I mean? I spend a long-time perfecting what I do as best I can. So, when something like this comes up, hopefully I can do it. But the right place, the right time kind of thing comes to mind. I’ve had a lucky career. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve done many things that I’ve been gifted for. But this has got to be at the top. This is great.
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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 as Ethan Hunt
- Hayley Atwell as Grace
- Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
- Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
- Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge
- Angela Bassett as President Erika Sloane
- Esai Morales as Gabriel
- Pom Klementieff as Paris
- Holt McCallany as Serling
- Janet McTeer as Walters
- Nick Offerman as General Sydney
- Hannah Waddingham as Admiral Neely
- Shea Whigham as Jasper Briggs
- Greg Tarzan Davis as Degas
- Tramell Tillman as Captain Bledsoe
Rolf Saxon plays William Donloe in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ Franchise:
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1966 – 1973)
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1991)
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1996)
- ‘Mission: Impossible II‘ (2000)
- ‘Mission: Impossible III‘ (2006)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol‘ (2011)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘ (2015)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout‘ (2018)
- ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One‘ (2023)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘ (2025)
Buy Tickets: ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies on Amazon
May 26, 2025
Every ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movie, Ranked

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!

The series has been directed by such acclaimed filmmakers as Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams, and Brad Bird, as well as current franchise director Christopher McQuarrie, who took over the series with ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.’

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.

Let’s begin!

8. ‘Mission: Impossible II‘ (2000)

Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible 2.’ ©2021 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.

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.
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7. ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One‘ (2023)

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.
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6. ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1996)

Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible.’ ©2021 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.

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.
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5. ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘ (2025)

(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.
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4. ‘Mission: Impossible III‘ (2006)

(L to R) Tom Cruise and Keri Russell in ‘Mission: Impossible III.’ ©2021 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.

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.
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3. ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol‘ (2011)

(L to R) Jeremy Renner, Tom Cruise Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton in ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.’ ©2021 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.

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.
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2. ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘ (2015)

(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt and Jeremy Renner plays William Brandt in ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions. ©2021 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.

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.
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1. ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout‘ (2018)

(L to R) Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt and Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. ©2021 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.

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.
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May 22, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’
Tom Cruise on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.

Opening in theaters May 23 is ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,’ directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales, Angela Bassett, Holt McCallany, Shea Whigham, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, and Henry Czerny.

Related Article: ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ will Move From June 2024 to May 2025 in New Delay

Initial Thoughts

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 as Ethan Hunt
- Hayley Atwell as Grace
- Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
- Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
- Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge
- Angela Bassett as President Erika Sloane
- Esai Morales as Gabriel
- Pom Klementieff as Paris
- Holt McCallany as Serling
- Janet McTeer as Walters
- Nick Offerman as General Sydney
- Hannah Waddingham as Admiral Neely
- Shea Whigham as Jasper Briggs
- Greg Tarzan Davis as Degas
- Tramell Tillman as Captain Bledsoe
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ Franchise:
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1966 – 1973)
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1991)
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1996)
- ‘Mission: Impossible II‘ (2000)
- ‘Mission: Impossible III‘ (2006)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol‘ (2011)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘ (2015)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout‘ (2018)
- ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One‘ (2023)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘ (2025)
Buy Tickets: ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies on Amazon
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May 14, 2025
Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill Reportedly on For ‘Broadsword’
(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’.

Following the Cruise news, we have word from regular movie scooper Daniel Richtman that Henry Cavill and Marion Cotillard are in talks to join him. Cavill, of course, appeared alongside the actor in 2018’s ‘Mission: Impossible –– Fallout’.

Related Article: Director Christopher McQuarrie Talks ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

What’s the story of ‘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.

Other Christopher McQuarrie Movies:
- ‘The Usual Suspects‘ (1995)
- ‘The Way of the Gun‘ (2000)
- ‘Valkyrie‘ (2008)
- ‘The Tourist‘ (2010)
- ‘Jack Reacher‘ (2012)
- ‘Jack the Giant Slayer‘ (2013)
- ‘Edge of Tomorrow‘ (2014)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘ (2015)
- ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back‘ (2016)
- ‘The Mummy‘ (2017)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout‘ (2018)
- ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ (2022)
- ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One‘ (2023)
Buy Christopher McQuarrie Movies on Amazon
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August 5, 2024
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ – Christopher McQuarrie
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Opening in theaters on July 12th is the latest installment of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise entitled ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ which was co-written and directed by Academy Award-winner Christopher McQuarrie (‘The Usual Suspects,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’).

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.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’?

‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ stars Tom Cruise (‘Top Gun‘) as Ethan Hunt, Hayley Atwell (‘Captain America: The First Avenger‘) as Grace, Esai Morales (‘Master Gardener‘) as Gabriel, Ving Rhames (‘Pulp Fiction‘) as Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg (‘Hot Fuzz‘) as Benji Dunn, Rebecca Ferguson (‘Dune‘) as Ilsa Faust, Vanessa Kirby (‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw‘) as Alanna Mitsopolis, Pom Klementieff (‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3’) as Paris, Henry Czerny (‘Scream VI‘) as Eugene Kittridge, Shea Whigham (‘Joker‘) as Jasper Briggs, and Greg Tarzan Davis (‘Top Gun: Maverick‘) as Degas.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with writer and director Christopher McQuarrie about his work on ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ keeping the franchise fresh, creating the incredible stunts with Tom Cruise, practical effects vs. CGI, the most difficult scene to shoot, and what audiences should know to prepare them for this film experience?

Christopher McQuarrie, writer and director of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with McQuarrie, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, and Greg Tarzan Davis.

Moviefone: To begin with, this is the third ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie you’ve directed and you have a fourth, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’ coming out next year. How do you keep each story fresh?

Christopher McQuarrie: Tom and I simply take everything that we’ve learned on every film we do and apply it to the next one. So what you’re looking at with ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ is everything we learned not only from the previous ‘Mission Impossible’ movies, but also from ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Edge of Tomorrow.’ All the films that we’ve worked on together and separately, and we’re always just trying to take everything we’ve learned and take it to the next level. Push it a little bit beyond.

(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

MF: What is it like working with Tom Cruise to design the amazing action sequences in these movies?

CM: We will be talking about stunts. For example, when we were shooting ‘Fallout’ and doing the halo jump out of the C-17, we were already talking about how cool it would be to drive a motorcycle off a cliff. There’s motorcycle stunts, and there’s skydiving stunts in our previous movies. So it was taking what we learned about motorcycles, taking what we learned about skydiving and putting them together, and then what would you get? We had talked about base jumping previously and all of that coalesced in this movie, into that stunt. We’d been talking about a train sequence for a long time, and a desert sequence for a long time. I’ve always been obsessed with submarines, trains, and the Arctic. They were all environments that I was fascinated with. The nice thing about these movies, and especially doing multiple installments of them, is that I get to make every movie that I never had the opportunity to make elsewhere. It’s just a great playground and a great opportunity.

Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One ‘from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Related Article: Hayley Atwell Talks ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

MF: Can you talk about why you prefer using practical effects over VFX, especially in this series?

CM: CGI would be in a lot of ways easier. Here’s what the challenge is for CGI. First of all, I use it quite a bit and it’s an extremely valuable tool. If everything is CGI, you get everything that you want. You’ll get exactly the shot the way you designed it. What you will not really get is chaos and unpredictability. And that’s what these movies are really about. So when you’re doing it practically, you’re making discoveries that you might not ever otherwise have made. That’s where the reality is truly coming from, it’s not something I made up, and it’s not something Tom made up. It’s chaos. It’s the randomness of what’s happening in those shots, the things that you never could have imagined. That’s what truly makes it feel real. That’s what makes it immersive. What’s most important to Tom and I, it’s not so much the spectacle. It’s that whatever’s happening, it’s happening to you. You’re experiencing it with those characters. That’s something that I’ve yet to be able to create using only CGI.

(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

MF: What was the most difficult sequence in this movie to shoot?

CM: Every sequence was difficult in its own way. There were a lot of challenges in production itself, but also in the standard to which we held ourself. We created a pretty specific outline for how we wanted to shoot the movie and never deviated from it. Then we designed that sequence and a lot of that sequence, we designed virtually. As much as you might design something virtually, it can never prepare you for the sheer physics of what you’re about to do practically. That sequence was extraordinarily challenging and very difficult to do. More than anything, it’s just extremely physically taxing on the actors. When you are seeing Tom and Hayley going through that environment, they’re really doing it and it’s quite physically challenging. There are times when they’re on a set that starts horizontally and goes a full 90 degrees vertical while they’re running up. It’s as tough as any obstacle course you’ve ever seen anybody run in their life, and they’re really doing it. It’s quite extraordinary what they achieved.

MF: Finally, what would you tell audiences sitting down to watch this movie to prepare them for the cinematic experience they are about to have?

CM: Get ready to watch the biggest, boldest ‘Mission: Impossible’ yet.

(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:’
- ‘Top Gun‘ (1986)
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1996)
- ‘Mission: Impossible II‘ (2000)
- ‘Mission: Impossible III‘ (2006)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol‘ (2011)
- ‘Jack Reacher‘ (2012)
- ‘Edge of Tomorrow‘ (2014)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘ (2015)
- ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back‘ (2016)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout‘ (2018)
- ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ (2022)
Buy Tickets: ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies On Amazon

‘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.
July 11, 2023
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ – Hayley Atwell
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‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ which was co-written and directed by Academy Award-winner Christopher McQuarrie (‘The Usual Suspects,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’), opens in theaters on July 12th and is the latest installment of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise.

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.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’?

Tom Cruise (‘Top Gun‘) as Ethan Hunt, Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger‘) as Grace, Esai Morales (‘Master Gardener‘) as Gabriel, Ving Rhames (‘Pulp Fiction‘) as Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg (‘Hot Fuzz‘) as Benji Dunn, Rebecca Ferguson (‘Dune‘) as Ilsa Faust, Vanessa Kirby (‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw‘) as Alanna Mitsopolis, Pom Klementieff (‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3’) as Paris, Henry Czerny (‘Scream VI‘) as Eugene Kittridge, Shea Whigham (‘Joker‘) as Jasper Briggs, and Greg Tarzan Davis (‘Top Gun: Maverick‘) as Degas.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Hayley Atwell about her work on ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ her mysterious character, her relationship to Ethan Hunt, and working with Tom Cruise.

Hayley Atwell in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan, and director Christopher McQuarrie.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your mysterious characters, Grace, and your approach to playing her?

Hayley Atwell: Great question. Because it was a collaborative one over a long period of time. There was a lot of time in filming where she didn’t even have a name. So, we tried lots of different things and different kinds of qualities to see what kind of thing felt most exciting on camera and, Tom and McQuarrie, I’d met several times before. McQuarrie had come to see me in a play in London’s West End about 10 years ago and said, “I want to work with you. I just don’t know what the character is yet.” So when I came in for the screen test for this, they both said, “We’re looking for the actor we want to work with and then we will build the character with them in real time as filming commences.” So I loved that. I found that very liberating because I trusted that I was in safe hands with them. They were not going to allow me to do something that ended up on a screen that I wouldn’t be proud of. So it allowed me the freedom to try lots of different things. So, the five months of preparation of stunt training for it was also about studying films from ‘Paper Moon’ to ‘The Sting’ to ‘Broadcast News’ to ‘What’s Up Doc?,’ to try and find a levity that I could take and build with Tom as a new kind of chemistry than you’ve seen before in this kind of franchise.

(L to R) Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Related Article: Simon Pegg Talks ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

MF: What is Tom Cruise like as a scene partner, especially in the action sequences?

HA: He is dedicated, he is a consummate professional, and a gentleman. He’s very concerned with people’s health and safety as well as his own. So, he’s meticulous in his preparation for any stunt that he does, which also means that his resources or an education for myself coming into this is so huge that I too felt like I could learn so much about what’s going to keep me safe, what’s going to keep me dynamic and mobile, and able to do a stunt several times from different directions, different takes with different performance notes, and how to sustain that over months and months. You feel very much in safe hands because he’s like a boxing coach that’s on your side. When you do something or land something, he is your greatest fan because he wants to see everyone around him thrive, which means his encouragement is contagious. I think everyone says that about him, that have worked with him in this way close up with him in terms of stunts that there’s no one quite like him.

(L to R) Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

MF: Finally, can you talk about Grace’s alliance with Ethan Hunt?

HA: That was so fun to discover. It’s going, how are they cat and mouse or sort of sibling, how can they play with each other but in a way that didn’t seem to be too calculating? That they both needed each other in some way or both looking for the same thing, and how could they get their own needs met, but by using each other? To work with him in scenes, he’s incredibly present. Anything that you offer up, he will have seen it, taken it on board and reacted to it. He’s very alive to the other actor. Even when he’s off-screen and he’s standing behind the monitor or the camera and it’s your closeup, he is right there with you giving exactly the same amount of energy and focus as he would be if he was in front of the camera too. So, you have a scene partner, you have someone that’s in your corner and someone that’s opposite you, that’s holding the space for you to the best work you can possibly do in that moment.

Hayley Atwell stars in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Other Movies Similar to ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One:’
- ‘Top Gun‘ (1986)
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1996)
- ‘Mission: Impossible II‘ (2000)
- ‘Mission: Impossible III‘ (2006)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol‘ (2011)
- ‘Jack Reacher‘ (2012)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘ (2015)
- ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back‘ (2016)
- ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout‘ (2018)
- ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ (2022)
Buy Tickets: ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies On Amazon

‘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.
June 27, 2023
Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie Plan Movie Musical

(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.

‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ will be in theaters on July 14th, 2023, with ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’ following on June 28th, 2024.
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August 9, 2022
Best Tom Cruise Action Movies

Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Tom Cruise is quite possibly the greatest movie star in the history of cinema!

His films have grossed over $8 billion dollars at the box office, and the actor is more than willing to hang off the side of a building or an airplane in order to entertain audience.

Now, with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ opening this weekend, let’s take a look at the best action movies Tom Cruise has ever made, including the new ‘Top Gun.’

Let’s begin!

18) Jack Reacher 2: Never Go Back (2016)

When Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) is arrested for treason, ex-investigator Jack Reacher (Cruise) undertakes the challenging task to prove her innocence and ends up exposing a shocking conspiracy.
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17) The Mummy (2017)

Though safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen (Sofia Boutella) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.
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16) Oblivion (2013)

Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger (Olga Kurylenko) from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.
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15) Mission: Impossible II (2000)

With computer genius Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) at his side and a beautiful thief 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.
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14) Knight and Day (2010)

A fugitive couple (Cruise and Cameron Diaz) goes on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.
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13) Jack Reacher (2012)

When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: “Get Jack Reacher!” So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher (Cruise) against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.
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12) War of the Worlds (2005)

Ray Ferrier (Cruise) is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) drops off his teenage son (Justin Chatwin) and young daughter (Dakota Fanning) for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
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11) Top Gun (1986)

For Lieutenant Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Cruise) and his friend and co-pilot Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete’s dreams of becoming an ace
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10) Mission: Impossible (1996)

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, and 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.
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9) The Last Samurai (2003)

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai’s way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.
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8) Mission: Impossible III (2006)

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 while working with his new team to complete the mission.
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7) Minority Report (2002)

John Anderton (Cruise) is a top ‘Precrime’ cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they’re committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
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6) Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

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 (Henry Cavill) while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.
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5) Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

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.
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4) Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Major Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again… and again – as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
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3) Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating ‘The Syndicate’, an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.
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2) Days of Thunder (1990)

Talented but unproven stock car driver Cole Trickle gets a break and with the guidance of veteran Harry Hogge turns heads on the track. The young hotshot develops a rivalry with a fellow racer that threatens his career when the two smash their cars. But with the help of his doctor, Cole just might overcome his injuries– and his fear.
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1) Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”

Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
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May 29, 2022
Christopher McQuarrie Signs on for Back-to-Back ‘Mission: Impossible’ Sequels

He has chosen to accept it.

Christopher McQuarrie, the super genius writer-director of “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” and “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (and an uncredited screenwriter on “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”) announced today that he would be returning to the world of espionage and utterly convincing rubber masks with not one but two more movies. “Missions: accepted,” he wrote on Twitter earlier today.

Variety has additional details: apparently McQuarrie, while flirting with other projects (including the Michael B. Jordan-led Tom Clancy adaptation “Without Remorse”), he is fully on board two more entries in the popular franchise. While he and “Mission: Impossible” star Tom Cruise continue to work on “Top Gun: Maverick” (set for release summer 2020), there have been tentative dates set for these “Mission: Impossible” sequels — Summer 2021 and Summer 2022, respectively.

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” the sixth film in the franchise, opened this summer to unanimous critical acclaim and the highest box office returns of any entry in the franchise. So it makes sense that he would want to return; he and Cruise have made 10 movies together in the past 9 years, so clearly they have a great working relationship.

Update: Tom Cruise has confirmed the 2021 and 2022 release dates on his Twitter account.

January 14, 2019
The 10 Best Action Movies of 2018, Ranked

Marvel/Blumhouse/Pixar

Lionsgate

Well Go USA

RLJE Films

Blumhouse

MGM

Pixar

Netflix

Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios

Paramount

December 13, 2018