Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has brought the story of Ethan Hunt and his team to a close, and future spinoffs might face some obstacles, warns director Christopher McQuarrie. Since nothing is ever set in stone in Hollywood, The Final Reckoning‘s ending provided Tom Cruise’s iconic character with a satisfying conclusion that left the door open for more adventures, including potential spinoffs. However, nothing has officially been put into development, even as The Final Reckoning continues to pull in money at the box office. At the time of writing, the movie has earned $450.4 million worldwide.

In an interview with The New York Times, McQuarrie discussed whether the Mission: Impossible movies could branch out by following a new protagonist, similar to the John Wick movies with Ana de Armas’s Ballerina. McQuarrie responded by saying the franchise features a very “specific kind of filmmaking“ with an actor performing all the action themselves. He also said a spinoff would have to produce “another kind of story altogether,” which would be difficult without the original cast. His full comments are below:

One of the things I love about [Ethan and his friends] is that they are a team. They’re all great characters, but if you spin them off, you would lose two things entirely: One, you’d lose what Ethan Hunt brings to the franchise in terms of its scale and its action, and you’d also lose the team. It would cease to be the “Mission” we know. That’s not to say somebody couldn’t invent a new “Mission Impossible.” Having worked on a few of them, I can say, “Good luck.”

What This Means For The Mission: Impossible Movies

Any Mission: Impossible Spinoffs Would Have To Tell A Fresh Story With The Same Stunts

Based on McQuarrie’s comments about the Mission: Impossible movies, if the franchise were to produce any spinoffs after The Final Reckoning, they would need to spotlight some new characters. Any possible spinoffs wouldn’t revolve around any people from Ethan’s team, including Grace, Benji, Paris, or Theo. None of the characters would feel the same without the whole gang together, especially since one core member died in The Final Reckoning.

Should any filmmakers follow McQuarrie’s advice when making a spinoff, such a film would center around a new protagonist with a new team in order to succeed. The actor playing the protagonist would also have to perform their own stunts like Cruise in order to retain the franchise’s distinctive and appealing style of filmmaking. If Cruise were to make an appearance as Ethan in a spinoff, it would have to be brief, and he would likely serve as a mentor figure to the protagonist, similar to John Wick in Ballerina.

Our Take On McQuarrie’s Comments On Future Mission: Impossible Movies

A Mission: Impossible Spinoff Could Be A Hit-Or-Miss Without Tom Cruise

Despite the characters or the stunts on display, it’s unlikely that any Mission: Impossible spinoff would achieve the same level of success as the original films without Ethan Hunt. For one thing, Cruise’s popularity has been one of the franchise’s biggest draws, and he made the Mission: Impossible movies very distinctive by doing several death-defying stunts himself. It would be very challenging to find an actor as bold and skilled as Cruise to perform such spectacular, practical action.

However, it is possible that future filmmakers will try to attract audiences by having Ethan cameo in any potential spinoffs. He could provide the foundation for some new characters, which would also serve as connective tissue for the whole franchise. Still, creating a new Mission: Impossible team has worked before, as Ethan’s films are based on a TV series centered on a different cast of characters.

Presenting a new cast of heroes in a spinoff could bring the Mission: Impossible movies full circle and begin a fresh, new chapter for the franchise. Everybody knew that Cruise’s run in the franchise had to end sooner or later, especially now that he’s reached the later years of his life. Doing a movie without Ethan just wouldn’t feel the same, so the franchise’s future after Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning should lie with a new team of heroes who can pull off the same style of filmmaking as Cruise to keep the story fresh yet familiar.

Source: The New York Times