Tom Cruise comments on whether Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will end the franchise. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the upcoming installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise follows the cliffhanger ending of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning in 2023, with Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his team attempting to take down the Enтιтy. The Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning trailer and the movie’s тιтle have teased a sense of finality to this new installment, but there has thus far been no confirmation one way or the other about whether it will serve as Ethan’s last adventure.
During a new interview with Empire, the publication asks Cruise and McQuarrie directly whether Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the last in the franchise. Neither star nor director share a concrete answer, but both tease that there is a sense of culmination to Ethan’s franchise arc. Cruise calls the movie “an epic, emotional journey of the entire franchise,” describing it as “Homeric.” Check out his response below when pressed about whether it’s the end:
“You gotta see the movie. It’s a hard thing for me to discuss at the moment, because it really is something that you have to experience.”
McQuarrie takes a similar approach to Cruise, sidestepping the question. What he does say, however, is that audiences should expect a sense of resolution:
“It is, I hope, the satisfying conclusion to a 30-year story arc. I’m pretty confident that people are going to feel that the тιтle was appropriate.”
The comments from Cruise and McQuarrie accompany a new image from The Final Reckoning, teasing an emotional moment between Ethan, Hayley Atwell’s Grace, and Simon Pegg’s Benji:
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One possible reason why Cruise and McQuarrie aren’t saying one way or the other whether The Final Reckoning is the end is because they might not know yet. Mission: Impossible – ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning was critically-acclaimed in 2023, but it was also a box office disappointment. The film’s underperformance reportedly led to a bit of a re-think with The Final Reckoning, which was originally subтιтled ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning Part 2. Angling The Final Reckoning as the last movie makes a lot of sense from a commercial perspective given the last film’s disappointing box office.
If The Final Reckoning underperforms, which is entirely possible given its reported budget of $400 million, Cruise and McQuarrie can leave the franchise with a film that carries with it a sense of finality. If the movie is a hit, however, and there is clear audience demand for more, it’s very likely that the story will leave the door open for Ethan’s return in a potential Mission: Impossible 9. Cruise does have a handful of films already lined up, though, meaning whatever happens with The Final Reckoning, a return as Ethan is probably off the cards for a number of years.
The Final Reckoning‘s mᴀssive reported budget is likely due to some crossover with the budget for ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning.
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Cruise said at the Australian premiere of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, per The Sydney Morning Herald, that he hopes to take after Harrison Ford and be playing Ethan until he’s 80. If there’s audience demand for more Mission: Impossible movies, it certainly seems like Cruise will deliver. If there’s one thing that’s abundantly clear about the actor, it’s that he lives to entertain and thrill people at the movies.
Though nothing has been confirmed just yet, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning does seem like it will be the last time audiences will be seeing Ethan for at least a handful of years as Cruise takes on other projects. What is clear, however, is that Cruise and McQuarrie have pulled out all the stops when it comes to this upcoming film, with a number of death-defying stunts on the horizon.
Source: Empire
