Tom Cruise has been Ethan Hunt since 1996, and we are rapidly coming up to the Mission: Impossible movie franchise’s 30th anniversary. Cruise was 34 in the first film and is now 61 with the release of the seventh entry in the series, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Both Part One and Part Two were initially described as somewhat of a swansong for the Hunt character, but as Part One has been released, is that still the case?
Is the Mission: Impossible Franchise Coming to an End with Dead Reckoning Part Two?
It seems like the Mission Impossible series will be continuing after Dead Reckoning Part Two in some way. Recently, Cruise did mention that he hopes to keep making Mission Impossible films when he is Harrison Ford’s age, which is now 81. One of the writers and the director of the last few installments, Christopher McQuarrie, has also said that he and the team “already have ideas for what comes next.” So, it does seem like Dead Reckoning Part Two will not be the last in the franchise.
It is not as if Part One has been a financial disaster, making $235 million at the worldwide box office during its opening weekend. While its production budget was nearly $300 million, it seems like it will be profitable, especially if positive word-of-mouth gives the movie legs. So, that would make continuing the franchise past the eighth installment a no-brainer, at least for financial reasons. As for critical reception, Dead Reckoning Part One has gotten some of the best reviews of any movie in the series.
Where Could the Mission: Impossible Franchise Go Next?
There is always the chance that Cruise could return after Dead Reckoning Part Two, even if Hunt takes on more of an advisory role rather than jumping onto high-rises or out of planes every other scene. While we don’t know what happens in the eighth film, there do seem to be ways that the franchise could continue without Cruise as well. They could continue the Mission: Impossible franchise with another character that has already been introduced, like Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), or even Brandt (Jeremy Renner), who has been absent since Rogue Nation.
This paragraph will go into spoiler territory, so if you haven’t seen Part One, turn back now. The new movie proved that franchise newcomer Grace (Hayley Atwell) could hold her own in a new series of films. She was inducted into the IMF at the end of the movie, so we could see her and Hunt team up for Part Two, and then continue the franchise herself going forward. They could also go in a different direction and reboot the franchise with a younger IMF agent, but that might not work too well. We could also always find out that Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) was not actually killed in Part One, so she could return in Part Two and then take the franchise in a new direction from there.
It seems like we won’t know what the future of this franchise will be for sure until Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two releases, whenever that might be. As of writing, it is slated for June 2024, but the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have seemingly halted all production on the film. With that being said, you still have time to check out Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One while it is in theaters now.
