As far as old-school action films are concerned, there’s no doubt about the fact that Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible is one of the last standing action film franchises that Hollywood has to offer. In an age where we are bombarded with special effects, it’s truly refreshing to see an agile Ethan Hunt pull off stunts on the big screen. Perhaps that’s why Mission: Impossible has been successfully running at the box office for the past two decades. After leaving the audiences wonderstruck in 2018 with Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the franchise is all set to come back with Tom Cruise’s more-than-familiar face. Here’s everything we know about M:I 7 & 8.
Not One, but Two New Releases
In January 2019, Tom Cruise put speculations to rest by confirming that Mission: Impossible would in fact be returning. Moreover, he confirmed not just one release but two. Tom Cruise took to social media to share a motion poster of the film and wrote, “Summer 2021 and Summer 2022”. Which means that we can expect two back-to-back Mission: Impossible releases soon!
According to the entertainment website Collider, Mission: Impossible 7 will release on 23 July, 2021 and Mission: Impossible 8 will release on 5 August, 2022.
Christopher McQuarrie to Direct and Write
After directing Mission: Impossible – Rogue in 2015, Christopher McQuarrie became the only director to helm a second Mission: Impossible film. In January, it was confirmed that he would be returning for the upcoming two films as well. Christopher had taken to Twitter to make the announcement by tweeting, “Missions: Accepted #MissionImpossible”.
Mission: Impossible Cast
There’s no Mission: Impossible without the fictional Ethan Hunt played by Tom Cruise himself. Actor Rebecca Ferguson, who was in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation as well as Mission: Impossible – Fallout, too will be returning for a third film in the franchise. Rebecca confirmed the news on a British talk show. She plays the role of Ilsa Faust in the films.
The Plot
After the box office-shattering performance of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, many have said that it would be difficult for any MI film to top that kind of storytelling. Some have even wondered if Mission will next be venturing into space - since that’s the only thing left untouched so far. When Tom Cruise was asked about this, he didn’t deny the possibility. According to the Mission: Impossible star, the team had admittedly talked about it but “wasn’t really there yet.”
He added, “We’ve thought about it. It’s like how do we do it? How is the mechanics of getting it there? How do you build the sequence there and how long can we have that sequence?”
Film Schedules
Both Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 are expected to be filmed at the same time so as to be ready in time for the back-to-back releases in 2021 and 2022. While this doesn’t say much, there are speculations that this will give the makers an opportunity to maybe tell a single story over two whole films. The sequels could be closely connected. Although, according to the director Christopher McQuarrie, Tom Cruise has “a lot of really big ideas.” So I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out.
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