The article contains spoilers for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning director reveals that a planned post-credits scene was cut. Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in what is being deemed his final movie for the action-packed franchise. This is after Cruise portrayed the iconic role for nearly 29 years and has performed many death-defying and dangerous stunts in each Mission: Impossible movie. The eighth installment follows up on ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, as Ethan and his team continue their pursuit to stop the Enтιтy. The Final Reckoning ends with him succeeding, as he goes into hiding to prevent the Enтιтy from getting into the wrong hands.
While speaking with USA Today, director Christopher McQuarrie revealed that The Final Reckoning nearly had a post-credits scene. He shared that there were plans to film a “coda” for the movie. However, after he showed Cruise the last ten minutes of the eighth installment, the action star decided that the sequence was the end of the movie and to cancel the shoot for the post-credits scene. This happened midway through production. Check out the response below:
“I came to Tom and I said, Look, normally I would want you to see the whole movie before I showed this to you, but we’re about to shoot this coda in a couple of days and just look at this bit. He said, ‘You know what, you can cancel Saturday’s work because this is the end of the movie. This is it.’ ”
When McQuarrie was asked about what the coda would have shown, he decided not to share as he believed it “could end up in another movie.“
“I’m not going to say because it could end up in another movie.”
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The Final Reckoning didn’t have a post-credits scene, but this new revelation from McQuarrie raises eyebrows about what it could have been. The eighth installment ends with Grace handing the device, trapping the Enтιтy, to Ethan, who then goes into the shadows to hide. This is essentially being deemed the send-off for Cruise and his iconic character, as it has campaigned throughout the movie’s promotion ahead of the release.
Despite The Final Reckoning being considered Cruise’s final installment, there are questions about whether this will end up being the case in the long run. While Cruise himself has said this is the final one for the franchise, many of his Mission: Impossible cast members felt confident that he would eventually return as Ethan. This sentiment has even extended to audiences and pundits, as many doubt that this will be the end of Mission: Impossible.
The Final Reckoning does show Ethan and most of his teammates surviving their latest mission, which means there is a door for Cruise to return from the shadows.
While McQuarrie doesn’t detail what the post-credits scene would have entailed, it sounds like the sequence would have revealed details about Ethan. In addition, the scene could still be used in a future movie, as he says that “it could end up in another movie.” While this is simply speculation for now, it’s clear that Cruise’s stint in the Mission: Impossible franchise will pause for a while since he has many projects lined up or in development, including the unтιтled Alejandro González Iñárritu movie and Top Gun 3.
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I’ve had the chance to see The Final Reckoning, and while it’s not perfect, some hints indicate this would have been Cruise’s final ride in the Mission: Impossible franchise. This includes lots of references to past movies, which even included an explanation of the Rabbit’s Foot from the third movie. However, this new revelation brings questions about whether it opened the doors to Ethan’s return, considering Cruise himself decided not to film it.
Since the director is implying that this could still be used in another movie, I can’t help but wonder if this is teasing that more Mission: Impossible movies could happen. The Final Reckoning does show Ethan and most of his teammates surviving their latest mission, which means there is a door for Cruise to return from the shadows. Nevertheless, it will be a while before audiences can see if Cruise makes any attempts to return, but the mystery behind the post-credits scene will be lingering in audiences’ heads.
Source: USA Today
