The eighth movie in the Mission: Impossible series, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, is scheduled to hit theaters in May of this year. The film franchise kicked off in 1996, with new installments coming out anywhere from two to six years apart. After almost 30 years of this status quo, anticipation is especially high for this chapter as it remains to be seen whether Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s cast will be the last to star Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt before he goes off on other career paths.

While ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning and The Final Reckoning were originally discussed as being the final Mission: Impossible movies, it’s now not certain whether Cruise will be leaving the Mission: Impossible franchise after The Final Reckoning. Director Christopher McQuarrie and Cruise have both expressed a willingness to continue with additional installments yet, but the franchise’s future is still up in the air. Even if the film series doesn’t end here, it’s likely going to be the end of an era for Mission: Impossible and the beginning of a new one for Cruise.

Mission: Impossible 8 Being The Last Means Tom Cruise Would Have More Time For Other Movies

We Don’t Know For Sure, But The тιтle Suggests That Mission: Impossible Ends Here

Given the ambiguity of the situation, no matter whether this is actually the end of Mission: Impossible, The Final Reckoning should feel like a big finish. Additionally, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s тιтle is important, as it was initially developed under the name ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning Part 2. While the film will still be wrapping up what started in the previous installment, the change in тιтle reinforces the idea that the film could be the last in the Mission: Impossible series.

The likelihood of the continuation of Mission: Impossible could depend on how The Final Reckoning performs at the box office. This is especially crucial because the eighth Mission: Impossible‘s high budget makes it one of the most expensive films ever made. Its predecessor, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning Part 1, struggled at the box office, further establishing that the future of Mission: Impossible rides on The Final Reckoning‘s success.

However, if The Final Reckoning is the last Mission: Impossible film, that would give Tom Cruise more time to work on other things. While he has acted in and produced other projects while in the middle of the Mission: Impossible series, if the multi-billion-dollar franchise ends here (or even just goes on a break for a little while), it will free up Cruise’s schedule much more, allowing space to work on movies that he wouldn’t otherwise have time for and explore sub-genres that would be a change of pace for him.

Tom Cruise’s Warner Bros. Deal Indicates He Will Work On A Lot More Original IPs Going Forward

Cruise & Warner Bros. Will Soon Produce New Films Together

For instance, in 2024, Tom Cruise made a deal with Warner Bros. for the production of new original and franchise films (via Warner Bros. Discovery). This is not Cruise’s first time collaborating with Warner Bros., as he previously worked with the studio on films such as Edge of Tomorrow, Rock of Ages, The Outsiders, and more. Mission: Impossible has been a huge part of his time in the film industry, but they’re not the only movies that have defined Cruise’s career. While the deal leaves open the option of both one-off films and longer franchises, it’s clear that it will create an opportunity for fresh originals to be made.

Mission: Impossible reaching the point that it has makes this deal even more exciting because it is more likely that Cruise will be turning his attention to something entirely new after The Final Reckoning‘s release. When the franchise has been a recurring part of Cruise’s filmography for so long, a deal like this coming into fruition as the series potentially wraps up could spell an exciting future for fans who want to see a greater variety of work from Cruise. And for fans of Mission: Impossible who want to see Cruise work on another long-running franchise, that’s a possibility as well.

I Love Mission: Impossible, But I’m Excited To See What Tom Cruise Does Next

We’ve Had Plenty Of Time With Ethan Hunt

Mission: Impossible has been popular for nearly three decades for a reason, and Cruise is responsible for many of the elements that make the films great. The premise of a team that handles missions that would otherwise be impossible forces the franchise to be clever, and this is woven together with Mission: Impossible‘s great fight scenes and individual characters who are worth following.

However, what really makes Mission: Impossible so interesting comes from Cruise’s personal investment in the franchise. Tom Cruise is known for dangerous Mission: Impossible stunts that he often takes on himself, such as the time that he ran up a building. But if the Mission: Impossible series ends in 2025, Cruise will carry that same care and pᴀssion into whatever projects he decides to work on next.

Cruise’s Warner Bros. deal shows that he is interested in continuing to create exciting things, whether it be Mission: Impossible or otherwise. Though Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s success might be the key to the continuation of the overall Mission: Impossible franchise, Cruise’s fans have a lot to look forward to from him in upcoming years, regardless of his biggest series’ future.

Source: Warner Bros. Discovery