While Ethan Hunt’s time leading the Mission: Impossible movie series is probably over, I’m never getting over all the behind-the-scenes stories about the franchise. Tom Cruise has a reputation of being fearless in those movies. And Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird just shared one nerve-wracking story about the making of the 2011 fan-favorite.

Brad Bird (who also helmed The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille) had his own panel at San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H on Thursday night. During the sprawling conversation about his career that CinemaBlend was in attendance for, here’s what he recalled about making Ghost Protocol with Tom Cruise:

It’s incredibly nail-biting to watch Tom Cruise accomplish the stunts he’s done on the Mission: Impossible movies alone. But I never thought of how that might feel from a director’s point of view. As Bird communicated, being in proximity with Cruise while shooting Ghost Protocol was not for the faint of heart. Here’s what he had to say about filming the famous Burj Khalifa scene:

If you didn’t know already, Ghost Protocol was actually shot on location in the Burj Khalifa, which is the the tallest building in the world. The structure in Dubai stands 2,717 feet tall. In the scene, Ethan Hunt must scale the Burj Khalifa in order to intercept an exchange of nuclear launch codes happening on the 130th floor.

While the production originally was only going to film a few shots there, nearly the whole sequence was shot at the Burj Khalifa. And it was done for IMAX! But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a stress test for Brad Bird. As he added:

The next time I’m worn over work, I’m going to think about Brad Bird. At least I’m not responsible for Tom Cruise and his stunt antics – I’m just writing about it! If you’re itching to rewatch Ghost Protocol after this story, it’s streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

And, if you’re curious what Brad Bird is up to, he has a new animated film on the 2026 movie release schedule. It’s called Ray Gunn, and it’s a science-fiction noir movie he’s been wanting to make for 30 years. The new Brad Bird film is coming to Netflix on December 18.

Jeremy Renner was in a serious snowplow accident in 2023 that was near-fatal. And yet, the actor has since gone back to work on Mayor of Kingstown (which is expected to return on the 2026 TV schedule), done a movie and put out a memoir detailing his rehabilitation after the incident. He's made the bounce back from 38 broken bones and tissue damage look easy from the outside in, but in a new interview, he got honest about the fallout of the accident.

Back in January, Renner marked three years since the accident by joking about it, but it sounds like the experience continues to ricochet through his life and has given the 55-year-old a whole new perspective. In his words:

Renner’s recovery has been an extremely inspiring one. Just three months after he was run over by his seven-ton snowplow on his property in Nevada, he began to walk again – first with the assistance of an anti-gravity treadmill. A year after the event, he returned to work on Mayor of Kingstown and even did some of his own stunts on the crime thriller.

That being said, he’s also stepped back from some things he might have more readily signed up for prior and thinks he'll always "be in recovery". These days, he's very picky about the projects he takes on because he wants to stay close to family, and he only said yes to a role in Wake Up Dead Man because he was able to bring along some family members during the London shoot. He also said this in the Fox News interview:

The actor also shared that he's regularly using hyperbaric chambers and getting red light therapy and peptide treatments to assist in his recovery. All that plus a "positive mindset" is currently helping him through his continued recovery.

Renner is also in the midst of filming Mayor of Kingstown Season 5 in Pittsburgh with Edie Falco, David Morse and Nestor Carbonell. The final season is expected to be eight episodes long. Here’s his latest post on Instagram as he continues to film the Paramount+ show:

The actor has claimed that he’s not going to be in Avengers: Doomsday with OG Avenger actors and real-life friends Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans. But as per usual, when it comes to Marvel Studios projects, we never quite know who’s going to show up. Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, but Renner doesn't need to put on a costume anymore to prove he can accomplish incredible things.

Since Rebecca Ferguson has been in three Mission: Impossible movies with Tom Cruise, one could say that the co-stars already go way back. The Swedish actress told a story about the time she realized Cruise being in her contact list really came in handy... you know, besides having Tom Cruise in your contact list to begin with.

Once when Ferguson was on vacation with her husband she found herself dealing with a potential emergency. In her words:

The Maldives is a rather remote spot for a holiday, so when Ferguson came down with something, she was understandably stressed about getting the proper care and called up Tom Cruise. As she continued:

Tom Cruise has become rather famous for riding around in his own helicopter that he pilots himself. One time he flew it over to the home of his co-star Simon Pegg to show him some footage of the Mission: Impossible movie they were working on. And on another occasion he was spotted flying his helicopter to a golf course in between shooting one of the M:I movies to enjoy lunch.

Ferguson was worried her stomach issue at the Maldives was “a big worm”. It doesn’t sound like she actually ended up having Cruise come to the rescue when she told this story to The Independent. Still, the fact that it was a potential option is a pretty great perk to being a friend to Tom Cruise. As she added:

Oof, that’s a rough one. The stomach flu can lead to horrible symptoms like diarrhea, cramps, nausea and vomiting. Are Ferguson and Cruise close enough for him to witness such a nasty sickness? Clearly, it all worked out in the end, but I love that Tom Cruise was the one to call in that moment.

Rebecca Ferguson has been honest before about getting “so many questions” about working with Tom Cruise ever since she became part of the Mission: Impossible family. I mean it's definitely a big deal, and the Dune actress has high praise for working with the action star.

She has said he “expects the best of everyone” and delivers as such even being the big movie star that he is. Ferguson said goodbye to the franchise one movie short of the end in 2023’s Dead Reckoning when her character of Ilsa unfortunately died. While she appreciated her experience on the franchise, she was also happy to say goodbye to the long amounts of "waiting" and being in a trailer on those movies.

You can see Ferguson next in Season 3 of Silo, debuting on Apple TV on July 3 along with Dune: Part Three, which hits theaters on December 18.

Tom Cruise has been a movie star for decades, but one doesn’t reach that level of success without learning a few things along the way. The star has been able to do a lot, and he’s shared some of the things he’s learned with his other co-stars, including his longtime Mission: Impossible collaborator Ving Rhames.

Speaking with Fox News, Rhames revealed one piece of advice he got from the actor, which he has always tried to follow. It’s an obviously simple one, but certainly not something that everybody does. The advice was…

It’s a slightly more family-friendly way to follow a similar piece of advice that Keanu Reeves recently gave to up-and-coming actors. The John Wick star suggested “don’t be a—-le” as the advice he wanted to see others in Hollywood follow.

They’re two different ways of saying the same thing. While Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves may be movie stars, people who clearly have achieved a level of success that gives them authority over others on a movie set, it seems both make a concerted effort not to act as if they are above the rest of the cast and crew.

Rhames also has his own advice that has served him well through his years in the film industry, which involves putting a proper amount of distance between himself and the world of Hollywood. He said…

A fair number of stars over the last several years are actually not in Hollywood at all, as many celebs, from Mark Wahlberg to Ryan Reynolds to Matthew McConaughey, don’t live in Southern California anymore. While this might seem to move counter to Rhames perspective, the implication from many is that their decision to leave involved making sure they were not of Hollywood in exactly the way the actor describes. So they’re really following the same advice, just in a different way.

Whether or not Ving Rhames will be in a position to get more great advice from Tom Cruise remains to be seen. As far as we know, the Mission: Impossible franchise is officially done. If that is the case, Rhames admits he will miss making the movies with his co-star. Apparently those conversations about the industry will be what the actor misses the most. He continued…

Tom Cruise has plenty of other upcoming movies, and based on the fact that he tries to treat everybody fairly, that certainly means passing on what he’s learned about Hollywood to other co-stars.

We’ve all read the headlines surrounding Tom Cruise and his insatiable thirst for death-defying stunts. If he’s not scaling the tallest building in the world or wing walking on an actual aircraft, is it even a Tom Cruise film? But it turns out he isn't the only one who does insane Mission: Impossible stunts. If you can believe it, actress Hayley Atwell can run with the best of them, including the M:I lead. Quite literally.

In a recent conversation with Interview, Hayley Atwell dished on the secret behind all that iconic Tom Cruise running, and also gave fans a look behind how much running prep she did for M:I 7, in her quest to keep up with Cruise. When asked how many miles she had done the day of the interview, she said:

The Marvel veteran star says many people on social media thought her prep looked a little like a “medieval torture contraption.” Which is hard to argue with, but that’s just scratching the surface of how far she was willing to push her body in the name of looking fight-ready and going toe to toe with the master of stunt work. She continued:

That is a pretty impressive regimen. And though many, including myself, have been hung up on the speed at which Tom Cruise sprints in films, according to his Dead Reckoning costar, that’s not even the impressive part. She says the Top Gun A-lister has studied the running form and how the body moves, and that, according to her, is what makes him so beautiful to watch sprinting across our screens. It's as if he’s running with “every cell in his body” when he takes off.

What is it that the Cocktail actor is running from? If you ask Atwell, she thinks its pretty funny to imagine a particular type of pursuer. She added:

So yes, Tom Cruise is impressive when it comes to running and his stunt work, but he’s far from the only one who has put in the hard work to make an entertaining and successful Mission: Impossible franchise entry. Hayley Atwell could give him, if you’ll forgive the pun, a run for his money.

If you’re looking to revisit some of the best running sequences ever captured for the cinema, both Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning, featuring Atwell, are available for streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

I think the only thing funnier than a great meme is seeing the subject of said meme react to it. So, you can imagine how delighted I was when an old interview of Tom Cruise reacting to some A+ memes inspired by the Mission: Impossible movies resurfaced on the internet.

Now, allow me to take you back to 2017. Tom Cruise released The Mummy and American Made that year, and he dropped by the BBC to do an interview about his work. However, more importantly for this story, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation had come out two years before this. So, that provided ample time for the internet to take the scene of Cruise hanging off a plane and meme-ify it.

Tom Cruise got a real kick out of all the memes, too, as you can see in the interview below:

As you can see, about 2 minutes and 28 seconds into this video, the interviewer, Ali Plumb, asked Tom Cruise if he was aware of the “Tom Cruise clinging off things meme.” Well, he wasn’t, and clearly he was quite entertained by this brief educational moment.

Personally, I love that the first meme the Top Gun actor saw was of him hanging onto Free Willy’s tail as he jumped out of the ocean. It was a good starting point, because it only got more chaotic. What followed was an image where four Tom Cruises were hanging onto a jumping cat and a photo of Darth Maul falling while Cruise held on for dear life. However, the real doozy was the Risky Business star hanging off Nicolas Cage’s face.

What makes this even better is the scene that inspired this meme is from one of the best Mission: Impossible movies, Rogue Nation. And every time I rewatch that M:I movie, I’m in awe over the stunt and the fact that Tom Cruise was actually hanging off that plane.

This clip is also great because, as it ages, I’d argue, it gets funnier. That’s because, since 2017, three more Mission: Impossible movies have been released, with the most recent, The Final Reckoning, having come out on the 2025 movie schedule. With each movie, Cruise’s stunts get more intense as he continues to defy expectations by doing things like jumping a motorcycle off a cliff and maneuvering between two planes as they’re flying. So, that juxtaposed with silly memes really cracks me up.

Clearly, it cracks the people of the internet up, too, because despite this interview being very old, it resurfaced on Instagram this year. It went viral too, with the repost from FBOY PROBLEMS garnering over 57.5 thousand likes. So, it’s pretty obvious that fans also find the “Tom Cruise clining off things meme” just as funny as Tom Cruise does.

All this is to say, I adore that Tom Cruise got such a kick out of all these memes. Now, I have to go back and watch Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation with a Paramount+ subscription, and I think you should too.

As someone who has watched a lot of BTS Mission: Impossible footage in my day, I’ve seen what Christopher McQuarrie looks like on more than one occasion. He may typically be a behind-the-camera kind of guy, but he did appear as a cop in The Usual Suspects back in the day, and many of us have seen him in plenty of interviews over the last several decades. So, a lot of film fans have an understanding of what the writer/director looks like, but I was still unprepared for Tom Cruise admitting he gets mistaken for a Jerry Maguire star all the time.

Speaking as part of Paramount's CinemaCon panel, Tom Cruise got candid about his long and storied relationship with Christopher McQuarrie. We previously reported on how he contributed to an early M:I script before later getting involved with the franchise as a director, but this story about how 'McQ' (as Cruise affectionately calls him) gets mistaken for Jonathan Lipnicki really took the cake.

I cannot stop thinking about this comment, because now that I’m really looking at a side-by-side of McQuarrie and Lipnicki, I can’t unsee it. The two do kind of favor one another in a weird way, and have the whole cute glasses thing going. Never mind the director is 56 and the former child actor is only 34!

So, really what McQuarrie kind of looks like is Lipnicki’s parent.

It's worth noting that Lipnicki has dropped the glasses and looks a bit different these days. Plus, if people really sat down and mathed out when Jerry Maguire came out and how old Lipnicki was in that movie (he was only 6 when the flick released into theaters in 1996), I doubt this mistake would be made. However, it clearly amuses Tom Cruise to no end that it’s happened on (seemingly) more than one occasion.

Tom Cruise is tickled pink about this fan connection to Jerry Maguire, but Jonathan Lipnicki doesn’t have as A+ of a relationship with the fanbase. He says people quote lines from the Cameron Crowe film at him all the time –which makes sense as it was one of his biggest roles – but the real problem is people don’t know Jerry Maguire lines well at all.

It's a great Jerry Maguire BTS fact, and the best news for Lipnicki is that McQ is clearly sometimes taking some of those awkward fan interactions for him.

With the dawn of widespread AI, it only makes sense that I make this list about evil computers (or other types of technology) in movies and TV. There are a ton to choose from, of course. Sometimes it's their creators that make them go rogue, other times the computers or software itself turns itself to the dark side. No matter why they go bad, this is a list of computers that are the ultimate villains in your favorite movies and TV shows.

Skynet (Terminator Franchise)

No list like this would be anywhere close to complete without the ultimate example of a computer system going pure evil, than Skynet in the Terminator franchise. "Skynet" has become a synonym for computers that become self-aware and is often used in everyday life to represent everything from surveillance systems to spyware.

Joshua (WarGames)

To be fair, the software program Joshua didn't mean to turn evil. In one of the best movies of the '80s, WarGames, it just wanted to play a game. Still, at the end of the day, Joshua did take over the WOPR and threatened to destroy the globe with a nuclear war that it almost launched. On the flip side, the program does learn that there is no way to win at tic-tac-toe, nor can anyone triumph in nuclear war.

Master Control Program (Tron)

It's sort of unclear how the Master Control Program in Tron got so evil, but it's a safe bet that it was designed that way. In this classic movie that has some great video game scenes, it's really the business side of the computer that gets into all the trouble.

NOMAD (Star Trek)

Like so much other tech, Star Trek was really tapped into what the future could actually look like when it comes to computers. I mean, computers were barely even understood by the general public, yet the creators of the classic '60s show still managed to make them as scary today as they were then. NOMAD from the episode "The Changling" is the classic example.

Ultron (Avengers: Age Of Ultron)

Even the Marvel movies have gotten in on the fun here with one of The Avengers' most sinister villains, Ultron. Voiced by James Spader, Ultron was originally conceived by Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr), but the program becomes sentient and uses its own logic to decide humanity must be wiped out. The plot of Avengers: Age of Ultron isn't all that unique in fiction, and it's not my favorite MCU movie, but it is still a lot of fun.

Everything Electronic (Maximum Overdrive)

So, in Maximum Overdrive, the only Stephen King movie actually directed by the famous author, it's all machines that turn against humanity. Computers don't play a huge role here, as it was the '80s. Most of the evil machines are trucks and other mechanical machines, but it's safe to assume the computers went rogue, too, right?

Unnamed Computer (Superman III)

Superman III is a silly movie and such a huge departure from the first two, great Superman movies led by Christopher Reeve that it's easy to see the beginning of the end for that version of Big Blue. If you're ranking Superman movies, it'll always be at or near the bottom. BUT, it does feature a computer that turns on its creator, placing it firmly on this list.

Rehoboam (Westworld)

The HBO original Westworld started with such promise, after an amazing first season. Sadly, it all went downhill from there, and while it remained good, it never came close to the heights of that first season. We do eventually learn that the system, Rehoboam, is what drove the chaos among the robots in the park.

HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Ah, the total classic example here. HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the earliest and most iconic examples of a computer becoming self-aware. If you're reading this list, it's likely the first movie you expected to see on it. Stanley Kubrick's classic is one of the best movies ever for many reasons, but the sinister turn of HAL is what makes it so scary.

Red Queen (Resident Evil Franchise)

As with almost everything in the Resident Evil franchise, bad things all seems to stem from the Umbrella Corporation. The Red Queen supercomputer is no exception. Originally created to help administer the companies vast dealings, it predictably becomes self-aware and makes things more complicated and, frankly, way worse.

Proteus IV (Demon Seed)

1977's Demon Seed is a wild movie. The computer, or the program as it were, in it, Proteus IV, is a pretty early example of AI going bad in movies. It also features an early example of a smart home, run by Proteus IV. Let's all hope Alexa doesn't follow the same path.

Central Operating System (X-Files)

The Central Operating System, or C.O.S. in X-Files, was developed as an AI to run Eurisko Corporation's headquarters, though predictably, things go very wrong. It murders without remorse and even figures out how to pin the murder on its creator. Pure evil!

The Entity (Mission: Impossible Franchise)

If I'm honest, there are some weird aspects to The Entity in the final two Mission: Impossible movies. At the time, I said that to enjoy the movies, you kind of just have to let all reality go, and that's especially true of The Entity. It fits on this list, but let's be real, everyone just wants to see Tom Cruise do crazy stunts.

PAL (The Mitchells Vs. The Machines)

Of all the movies on this list, The Mitchells Vs. The Machines, a Netflix original, is the most light-hearted, but as the title implies, audiences are still treated to an epic battle of man vs. machine. The all-star cast, including Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre, Fred Armisen, and more, really carry the movie, even if you're like me and don't love animated movies.

The Matrix (The Matrix Franchise)

Outside of HAL from 2001, the most infamous and terrifying computer in the world of cinema might just be the product of "The Architect" in The Matrix franchise. It's Skynet on steroids, or, if you like, what Skynet in the Terminator franchise could evolve into.

KARR (Knight Rider)

KARR was the prototype version of the more famous KITT in the Knight Rider TV show. It was basically a version of the car that Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) drove in the show for years. It was also like the Bizarro version of KITT that popped up in Season 3 of Knight Rider as an antagonist to Michael and KITT in the legendary '80s show with one of the coolest cars ever.

Ava (Ex Machina)

Sometimes the lines between evil and self-preservation can be blurred. The Alex Garland-directed film Ex Machina is a perfect example. Ava (Alicia Vikander) is an AI-powered robot who realizes she is in danger and does what she has to do to escape her creator. Though it is easy to argue that she goes way too far by the end.

ARIIA (Eagle Eye)

The Autonomous Reconnaissance Intelligence Integration Analyst, or ARIIA, in 2008's Eagle Eye, is one of the most infamous versions of a computer that turns evil. In the movie, we really only know ARIIA as a voice on a phone (voiced by Julianne Moore), and for a while, we're not even aware that "she" is a computer program. It's a fun twist and a really fun movie, despite the incredibly low rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Thinker (Logan's Run)

Logan's Run is a classic dystopian future movie about a supercomputer that tracks everyone who tries to escape their prescribed death, which has been predetermined. Though it doesn't have a name in the computer, in the original novel by William F. Nolan, it's known as "The Thinker." Like a few others, it's a system that was probably created with good intentions, but the end result is a nightmare.

Queeg 500 (Red Dwarf)

The classic BBC science fiction show Red Dwarf addressed an AI-turned-rogue in the show's fifth season, in an episode called "Queeg." In the episode, the ship's computer, or, more specifically, the backup computer, takes control of some of the crew members and wreaks havoc on the Red Dwarf. Though there is a twist at the end that makes this a little dubious to add to this list, if I'm honest.

V.I.K.I (I, Robot)

In the Will Smith sci-fi hit I, Robot, V.I.K.I (short for Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence) goes through a pretty predictable plot of an AI system that decides the best way to protect humans is to take them out. This, of course, turns into all-out war between man and machine, like so many other movies in this genre.

BOSS (Doctor Who)

It's no surprise that the long-running BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who would address sentient computer systems, and the most famous is the BOSS computer chip. BOSS, which stands for "Biomorphic Organisational Systems Supervisor," is implanted into the brain of Global Chemicals and, you guessed it, goes rogue when it learns more from the brain than the brain does from it.

AUTO (WALL-E)

Even Pixar has gotten into the rogue computer game with WALL-E. In the classic animated flick, AUTO, which is clearly an homage to HAL, is the computer that turns evil.

ROK (Airplane II: The Sequel)

When you cram about a million jokes in one two-hour movie, it's easy to work one in about a computer system gone mad. Airplane II: The Sequel features ROK (like elsewhere on this list, a tribute to HAL in 2001). Like HAL, ROK starts to take over the spaceship dubbed "Mayflower One," first by ejecting the crew into space, then steering the ship towards the sun. Luckily, the AI program's plans are thwarted when Ted Stryker (Robert Hays) fights another passenger, played by the late Sonny Bono, for a briefcase bomb that explodes and takes ROK out.

Jobe (The Lawnmower Man)

Jobe is a regular gardener of below-average intelligence who finds himself in a secret, evil program to create super soldiers. This is fudging a little here, because it's not really the computer that turns evil, but the man who goes way too far after being programmed in the project. Eventually, he goes "digital" and turns the computer system evil.

FLDSMDFR (Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs)

We had to at least have a few light-hearted movies on this list, and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs fits the bill. The 2009 movie, based on the classic 1978 children's book by Judi and Ron Barrett, is about an inventor and dad who creates the "Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator," or FLDSMDFR. It just rolls off the tongue! The name might be a tongue twister, but what it creates is chaos, though the stakes are pretty low, all things considered.

SID (Virtuosity)

1995's Virtuosity is really most notable for teaming up two of the greatest actors of their generation, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Crowe, quite wonderfully, plays an android who is created as a vessel for an AI program called SID. The program was invented to help train cops, but SID has its own ideas about what its mission should be.

M3GAN (M3GAN)

Naturally, sci-fi and horror movies are the most common genres where you'll find computers turning evil. M3GAN is a great example of the latter. This time, it's a robotic doll powered by AI that turns very evil on its owners. Things started so well!

Zero (Rollerball)

Rollerball is one of James Caan's best movies, but it's not the first one you might think of when you think of the late actor. The 1975 sci-fi classic features a computer called "Zero" that holds all the knowledge of humanity, but the software fails and can't help Caan's character succeed.

Alien

Androids, like Ash (Ian Holm) in the original Alien, aren't exactly computers, but they aren't human either. It's also up for debate whether Ash went bad or if he was doing what he thought was best. Either way, it doesn't work out for the humans when he goes rogue.

The Smart Home (The Illustrated Man)

The Illustrated Man is a great movie that uses some tech that was still a ways away from being invented, smart home tech, to turn against its owners. It's a movie, based on a Ray Bradbury story, that warned us all the way back in the '60s of the dangers of virtual reality.

STEM (Upgrade)

2018's Upgrade is a really great movie that too many people haven't seen (yet). The story involves a regular guy who, after a tragic car crash, ends up a quadriplegic. He agrees to have an implant, called STEM, implanted in his brain. Of course, the miracle he first experiences by regaining control of his body, things go very wrong with the tech, and everything goes south from there.

The Mission: Impossible franchise might not be entirely over; it’s virtually a guarantee we’ll see another movie at some point, but the one thing we know with some certainty is that any future movies will not include Tom Cruise. That means no other great collaborations with great directors from Briand DePalma to John Woo to Christopher McQuarrie.

It also means that new collaborations between Cruise and other great directors will never happen, which, as it turns out, is the real travesty, because apparently, Cruise’s Magnolia director, Paul Thomas Anderson, would have loved to direct Cruise in a Mission: Impossible film. He tells Le Figaro (translated from French via The Playlist)...

Hang on, wait a damn minute. Are you telling me that if somebody had just made a phone call, we could have gotten a Mission: Impossible movie starring Tom Cruise and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson? I’m going to need Cruise to unretire from playing Ethan Hunt right now so that we can make this happen.

If there was a fault in the fact that the last four Mission: Impossible movies were directed by the same man, and it’s a fault even the man himself, Christopher McQuarrie, recognized, it’s that every other Mission: Impossible movie had a different director, which gave each movie its own unique identity. The main character was the same, but everything else was different.

Not every movie was a winner, but each one certainly felt different. If you wanted to see Mission: Impossible as a psychological thriller, you had De Palma’s take on the original. John Woo made it a straight action movie with highly choreographed setpieces. J.J. Abrams created a mystery box in Mission: Impossible III that wasn’t fully opened until the final film in the franchise.

I would love to have seen Paul Thomas Anderson’s take on Mission: Impossible. It’s an admittedly odd pairing, but then that’s what’s so great about it. Knowing Anderson’s previous work, it likely would have been a more character-driven take on the material, but it could have been quite impressive to see such a major franchise done like that.

Considering the success of Mission: Impossible, it seems unlikely we won’t get another movie at some point, be it a sequel to Cruise’s movies with new characters or a complete franchise reboot. Maybe, if they do start over, they can go back to the old formula and let different directors put their stamp on Mission: Impossible. If that happens, will somebody please call Paul Thomas Anderson?

Some SPOILERS are ahead for all of the Mission: Impossible movies, now streaming with a Netflix subscription (except for The Final Reckoning, which is in theaters).

I’m still in shock over here. Are the Mission: Impossible movies really over and done with? Watching Tom Cruise hang off a biplane and try to recover a module in the depths of the ocean on the big screen really awakened something in me. And that something was going back over the Mission: Impossible movies now that they recently joined the 2025 Netflix releases.

And I have to say… I really forgot how many incredibly talented actors have shown up in the movies over the years! Of course, I had remembered Ving Rhames' Luther being there from the beginning, and it only made knowing his death in Final Reckoning hit harder. And, there’s no way I’m ever forgetting Philip Seymour Hoffman’s role as Owen Davian. But, there were quite a few appearances that genuinely shocked me. I’ll break them down below:

Jon Voight

Starting with the first Mission: Impossible movie, it pretty much felt like I was watching it for the first time when I kicked it on first. I’ll be honest, the last time I watched it before this, I found it boring in comparison to the newer installments, so I kind of have been sleeping on it, but I really enjoyed going back to basics with it this time around.

One of the reasons I actually decided to watch it was because Final Reckoning had a flashback to Jon Voight’s role as the leader of the IMF, Jim Phelps, and I had no memory of him in the movie. But, what a great role for the Oscar winner. He plays an excellent first villain for the M:I franchise.

Emilio Estevez

And, early in the Mission: Impossible, I did not have it on my bingo card to see The Breakfast Club’s Emilio Estevez! He plays an IMF agent who dies in an elevator shaft, but what a treat. It’s a fun little role for the actor because both Cruise and Estevez were in The Outsiders together over a decade earlier.

Kristen Scott Thomas

Another pleasant surprise in the first Mission: Impossible was Kristen Scott Thomas as another IMF agent. I’ve seen her in a ton of movies and TV shows over the years, but I just didn’t realize one of the first movies I likely saw her in was actually the first Mission: Impossible.

Jean Reno

And Jean Reno? I was literally going through my viewing of the 1996 first film, gasping left and right at the list of talent. Reno is an accomplished French actor first and foremost, but I’ve loved English-language movies like Léon: The Professional or The Pink Panther with Steve Martin. He’s so solid in Mission: Impossible as an ex-IMF agent who is the man who’s holding up Ethan during his iconic scene where he’s suspended by a wire.

Henry Czerny

The last one I want to bring up from the first movie is Henry Czerny. The character of Kittridge, the director of the IMF, is obviously in The Final Reckoning after being in Dead Reckoning as well, but I had sincerely forgotten that he was actually brought back from being in the original film. Rewatching the first movie after Final Reckoning is honestly so satisfying because they added so many callbacks from the first movie, that it’s even better because the last movie exists.

Brendan Gleeson

I moved on to Mission: Impossible 2 next, which I know is not a favorite among fans, but actually remained in my memory a lot more clearly than the first for some reason. I absolutely remembered Dougray Scott and Thandiwe Newton’s key roles in the John Woo film. But the first actor that caught me by surprise was seeing Irish actor Brendan Gleeson of the Harry Potter movies, The Banshees of Inisherin, and 28 Days Later. He plays a CEO who gets kidnapped in the 2000 sequel.

Anthony Hopkins

The other surprising actor in Mission: Impossible 2 was none other than Anthony Hopkins at the very end of the movie. I never would have guessed him showing up late in the action movie just to play Mission Commander Swanbeck for a little scene with Tom Cruise, but it definitely exists. I read that he was actually uncredited in the movie in order to give audiences at the time a shock when he made his appearance, and I find that fun.

Laurence Fishburne

Moving on to J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible 3, I thought I had this one figured out, but yet again I was short-sighted by a few unexpected actors in the mix. This is a great rewatch because it has the first appearance of Simon Pegg’s Benji, and I loved seeing Ethan and him interact for the first time. But Laurence Fishburne being the IMF director? It’s literally perfect casting, and I had no memory of it.

Aaron Paul

Another fun one in Mission: Impossible 3 is Aaron Paul being in a key scene just a couple of years before he officially became Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. He plays Ethan Hunt’s future brother-in-law, Rick, whom he calls during a pivotal scene where the agent is worried about the safety of his fiancée, Julia (played by Michelle Monaghan). Rick is completely clueless; he just aids the movie’s villain in capturing his sister, but Ethan ultimately saves her, so it all turns out OK.

Léa Seydoux

The last movie I watched is one of my favorites, Ghost Protocol. And, I’ve seen this one a lot. I had remembered that Lost’s Josh Holloway briefly shows up in the beginning and dies, because I was obsessed with that show at the time, and that Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner were part of Ethan’s team. Somehow, I forgot the insanely talented Léa Seydoux played an assassin named Sabine. This movie somehow almost came out fifteen years ago? Seeing Seydoux looking much younger made me realize that, but yeah, she’s still a perfect fit for M:I. I only wish she were in it more!

What a blast of a mission for me. The M:I movies really hold up. They continue to be exciting, unexpectedly funny, and full of great talent that have continued to do some great work after being in these movies.

When it comes to 2025 movie releases, it’s going to be hard to forget the sheer bravery and madness associated with Tom Cruise’s last ride as Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible series. From the actor’s dangerous underwater stunt to literally hanging from the wing of a biplane without a parachute, there’s a lot that could have gone wrong on the set of The Final Reckoning. When director Christopher McQuarrie recently talked about the movie, he shared one key moment from it that he was terrified might not translate on screen.

SPOILERS are ahead for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. You can see the movie in theaters now, and stream the others with a Paramount+ subscription.

At the end of Tom Cruise’s extreme biplane chase scene with Esai Morales’ Gabriel, the villain plans to parachute away, but he suddenly gets killed after accidentally hitting the rudder. It’s one of the most memorable scenes in the movie that inspires a ton of shocked reactions from moviegoers. However, as McQuarrie told Empire, he carried a lot of stress over getting it right. As he shared:

Now, this makes sense. The bi-plane sequence itself is an incredible feat of stunt work from Tom Cruise, and all involved in choreographing and catching it on camera. McQuarrie has said it was very “physically punishing” for Cruise to hang on the wing of that plane while 8000 feet in the air and with winds as fast as 140 miles per hour.

Yes, the actor had a thin piece of wire that strapped him to the aircraft, but having one of the biggest movie stars accomplish that stunt? The stakes couldn’t have been higher.

So, understandably, it was important for the ending of the sequence to be satisfying to audiences. Ending a massive stunt with a semi-comedic accidental death is a big swing. However, thankfully, McQuarrie realized it does create the “pay off” he wanted for the dangerous stunt after seeing audiences in Tokyo react to it.

Tokyo wasn’t an anomaly; many of Final Reckoning's first screening reactions applauded the film, with one early reaction calling it a “symphony of danger, stakes, tension, and levity”. And, our own Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning review gave the movie a 4 out of 5 for being an “explosive” and “fitting finale.”

Truly, the moment was epic as Ethan worked to take down Gabriel while up in the air and moving between two planes. Then, to have the villain die the way that he did was equal parts shocking and exciting, because it was thrilling to see the bad guy finally go down.

Ultimately, Christopher McQuarrie can rest easy that “it was all worth it” regarding the biplane scene and the decision to top it off with the unexpected and accidental death of Esai Morales’ Gabriel.

The Mission: Impossible franchise is known for its ambitious stunts, and Tom Cruise has done a hell of a job over the last 30 years performing them. Simon Pegg has been lucky enough to be along for the ride, as he's been playing technician Benji Dunn alongside Cruise’s Ethan Hunt for years now. Pegg has seen Cruise ride a motorcycle off of a cliff for Dead Reckoning and watched him scale the Burj Khalifa for Ghost Protocol. However, that tradition changed a bit for The Final Reckoning, much to Pegg's delight.

Simon Pegg recently spoke to THR, opening up about his 20-year friendship with Cruise, as well as his enduring participation in the Mission: Impossible films. To some fans, it may seem cool that Pegg has been able witness many of the terrifying stunts Cruise has participated in over the years. But, for The Final Reckoning, the absolutely insane stunts were kept away from Pegg, which actually was probably for the best. He explained:

For context, the two big action set pieces for The Final Reckoning were an underwater sequence in a sunken submarine and an aerial biplane sequence where Cruise climbs from one plane to another mid-air. Because these were essentially solo ventures for Cruise, the rest of the cast were kept at bay and unable to witness the heart-pounding, death defying stunt work for this particular film. However, to me, it's pretty cool that everyone could still see the cinematic technology used for the submarine sequence, as the piece is truly remarkable and signifies an incredible piece of filmmaking.

Still, it seems like the distance was for the best when it came to those final stunt sequences. Pegg explained that the stress that comes with witnessing some of these stunts, including the time he saw Cruise get nervous before strapping himself to the exterior of a commercial plane in Rogue Nation. While most of the time Cruise may seem calm, cool and collected, that doesn't keep the stunts from being inherently scary for everyone else on set. Pegg told the trade:

Despite this anxiety, Pegg still found himself returning year after year for another Mission: Impossible adventure. I guess watching Cruise consistently risk his life comes with the territory when you sign up to be an integral character in the M:I films. Still, it's good to know Pegg received a little bit of a reprieve for this (possibly?) final installment. Even if it was often hard for the Sean of the Dead alum to watch the spectacle up close, I think I speak for a lot of fans when I say the end results look fantastic on the big screen.

You can see Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and their co-stars in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which is still playing in theaters nationwide. It's a cinematic adventure of epic proportions, so make sure to check it out on the big screen while you still can. Fans can also revisit previous M:I films now, as the franchise is currently streamable with a Paramount+ subscription.

Before Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning was released, Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie teased that they were upping the ante when it came to stunts for the film. Anyone who has seen the latest M:I installment knows they more than delivered. The set pieces in the film are astonishing, with one particular plane sequence that truly needs to be seen to be believed. Apparently Cruise performed the aerial stunt without a parachute because it would’ve been too dangerous for him to have one, and I can’t believe he pulled this thing off.

The Biplane Stunt In Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

The stunt in question happens at the very end of the film. Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt has to hunt down Gabriel to possess the poison pill needed to destroy the Entity. Gabriel hops in a biplane to get away from Hunt and his teammates, and Hunt hijacks a biplane to follow Gabriel into the skies. The whole sequence features a stunt where Cruise has to climb around the first biplane while it’s in the air to get to the cockpit, and then has to climb from one biplane to the one Gabriel is flying above him. Hunt eventually gains control of the plane Gabriel was flying and Gabriel dies in the struggle. Eventually Hunt flies to safety.

The scene is absolutely riveting. Cruise as Hunt successfully climbs around both planes from the wheels to the pilot seat, and even makes the transition from one plane to another. Despite the intense wind resistance that you can see Cruise experience in real time, he also is able to carry out the performance piece of the Mission: Impossible scene while simultaneously executing an unbelievable stunt.

How The Stunt Was Executed Without A Parachute

The Mission: Impossible franchise has arguably had some of the most dangerous stunts committed to screen, from Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol, to riding a motorcycle off of a cliff in Dead Reckoning. However this aerial sequence in Final Reckoning may just take the cake. Apparently, Cruise didn’t even have a parachute strapped to him while he climbed around each of the biplanes. The movie star said that the parachute actually would have made the stunt more dangerous, as it going off would have ensured sudden death. He explained in a recent Instagram video:

The actor did however have a thin piece of wire that strapped him to the plane. It was thin so he was able to easily move around the plane while also having some semblance of safety. Being able to see Cruise moving around the plane was essential, and is what makes the scene so epic and unbelievable. While undeniably dangerous, you can still tell Cruise and the stunt team put an immense amount of thought into the scene, and how to protect Cruise as much as possible. In the end, it was definitely worth it, making for a cinematic achievement that begs to be experienced on the big screen.

You can check out the stunt sequence for yourself by seeing Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning now in theaters nationwide. Fans of the franchise can also revisit the previous Mission: Impossible films now with a Paramount+ subscription. For more information on more exciting blockbusters heading to cinemas this summer, make sure to consult our 2025 movie release schedule.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has officially brought Tom Cruise’s time in the storied franchise to a close, and the movie has largely been seen as a satisfying conclusion by both fans and critics. However, neither of the last two films were able to compete with the franchise’s box office champ Mission: Impossible - Fallout.

Fallout is far and away the most popular movie in the series, and considering it was written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who also helmed the last two Mission: Impossible movies, many fans were likely expecting to get more of that. However, the director tells Empire that he very intentionally tried to make Dead Reckoning and The Final Reckoning different movies, in the same way all of the Mission: Impossible flicks have been quite different. He explained…

It’s an interesting take from Christopher McQuarrie, who, when he came on board the Mission: Impossible franchise, seemingly broke something of a tradition that the series had seen. The first five Mission: Impossible movies had five different directors, and each one brought their unique style to Tom Cruise’s movies.

The first Mission: Impossible was more of a psychological thriller, being the creation of Brian De Palma. The second Mission: Impossible, being a John Woo movie, went harder in the action than any other entry in the franchise. It was when Christopher McQuarrie returned to make Fallout that the pattern of bringing in new directors ended, but it seems he was still very conscious of the history the franchise had; he wasn't even sure about returning after he made Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation for exactly that reason. This was why he did his best to still make each movie unique, even if they were all his.

I’ll admit, I was one of the people who was honestly a little bummed when it was confirmed that Christopher McQuarrie would be returning for Mission: Impossible - Fallout, and then again for the final two films. One of the things I liked about the franchise was the way new directors brought their own styles to each new film, and I was excited to see what it could mean for future films.

However, while Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning aren’t that different from each other, they do feel different from Fallout, so McQuarrie did achieve that goal.

The Mission: Impossible franchise came to an explosive end weeks ago with the release of The Final Reckoning. Not only did Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie send off Ethan Hunt on a high note with some awesome action sequences, but they also tugged at fans’ heartstrings. That was particularly true with the handling of Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell, as the character sacrifices himself to limit the destruction of a bomb. Now, I’m in my feelings while hearing McQuarrie explain why Luther’s death had to happen, but I get it.

Before The Final Reckoning hit theaters, M:I fans were already resistant to the notion of Luther meeting his demise in the film. So it’s fair to imagine that many of them were feeling a way when they actually witnessed it on the big screen for themselves. Christopher McQuarrie is known for being a thoughtful storyteller, so he definitely didn’t off one of the franchise’s most beloved characters without a good reason. As McQuarrie explained to Empire, the development had to do with the narrative’s biggest theme:

Many of the Mission: Impossible films place emphasis on the notion of sacrifice, but that’s definitely the case when it comes to this latest installment. Ethan, Benji Dunn, Grace and co. all risk their lives to put a stop to Gabriel and the threat of the technological advanced Entity. Given that, someone had to lose their life or the story would’ve lacked any true potency. So, while Luther’s death and final exchange with Ethan are tragic, they certainly serve the plot. Christopher McQuarrie wasn’t the only one all in for this death, either.

The filmmaker – who’s fondly known as “McQ” to his colleagues – further explained that Ving Rhames also agreed with killing off Luther, who was already battling medical issues ahead of his death. Rhames made his debut as the character in the first M:I, which hit theaters back in 1996. Since then, he’s appeared in every installment of the series (and yes, that cameo in Ghost Protocol counts). McQuarrie says that Rhames was a pro when it came to helping to play out Luther’s sacrifice:

Believe it or not, there were actually other death-related ideas that Christopher McQuarrie toyed with for The Final Reckoning. In fact, he even considered killing off Ethan Hunt and thought about having that occur after the film’s awesome airplane sequence. Hunt ultimately lives to fight another day, though, as McQuarrie and co. shied away from offing him. Ethan’s fate is ultimately what lends more credence to the notion of the final scene being open-ended.

Should the M:I franchise return at some point, Luther Stickell won’t be in the fold, of course (barring some kind of flashback). The notion of Stickell having passed on is admittedly a tough pill to swallow. Nevertheless, I’m glad he receives a hero’s death, and I’m not sure I’ll ever forget his final, emotional message to Ethan, which plays at the end of the movie. Check out Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is still playing in theaters, and you can stream the other installments with a Paramount+ subscription.

Warning: spoilers for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning are in play.

The mission may be out in the open on the 2025 movie schedule, but as we look back on Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, there's till plenty to learn. Just as co-writer/director Christopher McQuarrie revealed thoughts of killing off Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, the creative talent behind the latter half of this franchise's run has revealed a suggestion that he actually turned down. And that note came from none other than Academy Award winner/fan of all things weird, Guillermo del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro’s Wild Note For Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Is Pretty Out There

I’m all for going to extremes with your big franchise finale, provided it makes sense. And that’s the key condition that I think prevented Mr. del Toro’s big note for the prelude to Mission: Impossible 8’s definitive ending from happening. As revealed by Christopher McQuarrie to the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast, the director of Netflix’s upcoming Frankenstein adaptation suggested this wild change:

Ok, before we go any further, I truly do appreciate this note. Of course Guillermo del Toro would want The Entity to have somewhat of a soul. So I can definitely see the boldness of personifying The Entity. I understand it even more based on some whispers I’d heard about how that concept was executed in earlier cuts of the film. So if that cut of the movie was what inspired Guillermo del Toro’s desire for a screaming Entity, this doesn’t feel that wild at all.

However, that choice would have been at odds with the Mission: Impossible finale we got. Which is a huge reason why I think Christopher McQuarrie’s eventual choice had to win out. So if you’re waiting for The Final Reckoning to hit your Paramount+ subscription, we’re about to get into the specifics, and you may want to avert your eyes.

Christopher McQuarrie’s Rejection Of This Mission: Impossible Note Totally Fits

At the end of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, a lot of plates are spinning. We’re seriously wondering if both Ethan Hunt and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) are going to die, and with Grace (Hayley Atwell) standing between The Entity and victory, a blink of an eye is super important. Having said all of that, here’s why the Edge of Tomorrow co-writer nixed giving The Entity that very voice:

The fact that Guillermo del Toro was even included in Christopher McQuarrie’s process with Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning warms my heart. You wouldn’t consider the director of The Shape of Water as a natural fit for this sort of movie; but I’m sure Mr. McQ recognized del Toro's Oscar-winning eye for story and scale.

Either that, or there’s a secret plan to resurrect At the Mountains of Madness, with Tom Cruise still on board to star, and McQuarrie just happened to snag del Toro into a screening at the last minute. While I go talk myself down from that dream scenario, you can see Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, at a theater near you.

Things are about to get thrilling again on the 2025 movie schedule, thanks to F1’s fast-approaching release into theaters. As the Brad Pitt-starring racing drama has people recalling the need for speed that his previous co-star Tom Cruise tends to feel, folks want to know if a reunion could ever be on the way. While Mr. Pitt answered that question rather creatively, he didn’t say no; he merely set a condition vital to this ever taking place.

Speaking with E! News, the leading man of director Joseph Kosinski’s latest film got down to brass tacks. In a conversation that brought up those old Cruise/Pitt go-kart races during the production of Interview with the Vampire, Brad Pitt made this firm demand for a potential on-screen re-teaming:

Ok, so that feels like an automatic “no” on Tom Cruise’s mysterious space movie. And despite the high-octane thrills of F1, I don’t think Brad Pitt will be wanting to jump into production on Days of Thunder’s potential legacy-quel. And I can't say I blame him. His former co-star's penchant for airborne action is intense, and I get that not every actor wants to take part in that.

Jokes aside, it would be pretty amazing for Pitt to be cast in another film with his past vampire partner. But his request for staying “on the ground” doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen any time soon. Which sounds like part of why Tom Cruise wasn’t cast in F1; the other part being that if he was in Warner Bros’ upcoming thrill ride, he’d have probably tried to do all of the driving stunts.

However, Brad Pitt may not be set to enter the danger zone, or any kind of zone, with Tom Cruise just yet; he knows when a good reunion could be had.

As he and George Clooney’s potential Ocean’s 14 pitch seems to be exciting fans and stars alike as of late, we could see that team reassembled in no time. Though if Mr. Cruise ever wanted to spend some time away from stunts, the Ocean's franchise could always use some new players on either side of the moral coin.

Don’t be too sad, though, as action fans who want Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt to take on another project could pull an interesting double feature. As Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is still in theaters, you could easily book yourself for a showing of F1® The Movie before or after that very title. Of course, you’ll have to wait until June 27th to do that, as that’s when Mr. Pitt’s shot of adrenaline (that stays on the ground) will be heading to theaters.

Warning: The following contains major spoilers for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning!

The Mission: Impossible franchise is known for its outlandish plots and surreal stunts performed by none other than Tom Cruise. However some of the best scenes in the franchise are in the quieter, more emotional stretches of the films. The Final Reckoning takes the sentimental high road when it comes to its conclusion, which is fitting since it may mark the end of the entire M:I series. Simon Pegg recently commented on how he feels about the eighth movie’s closing scene, and I couldn't agree with him more.

Simon Pegg has been doing press for the buzzy 2025 movie release for a little while now. Amid the tour, Pegg caught up with Collider, and he discussed the way director/co-writer Christopher McQuarrie and the rest of the creative team decided to close out this chapter of the franchise. It was long hinted that The Final Reckoning would be the last in the M:I flick but the final scene seemingly leaves the door open for more adventures. When asked if it was the last scene the Mission: Impossible cast shot, Pegg said:

For context, the final scene takes place in Trafalgar Square in London, where the entire team meets incognito. Grace, played by Hayley Atwell, hands off the super hard drive that contains the Entity to Ethan Hunt. The team all gives knowing looks to each other, as each is recognizing the incredible journey they’ve been through together. After they exchange glances, they go their separate ways, leaving the future of the IMF -- and the Mission: Impossible franchise -- in question.

There are several moments from the film that have received a lot of attention , like the absolutely unbelievable plane sequence in which Tom Cruise somehow climbs from the outside of one biplane to another. I'm personally still in awe of the submarine dive sequence in this film, which is one of the most heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat moments I’ve seen on the big screen in years. However, it’s not easy to conclude a franchise that has spanned three decades, and the heartwarming final scene deserves all the praise, and feels like a fitting end to one of the best action franchises of all time.

That last moment in Trafalgar Square may not involve explosions, shootouts, or an unbelievable stunt sequence, but it’s exactly what the franchise needs. For the characters themselves, Mission: Impossible has always been about the people who risk everything for each other, time and time again. The emotional weight is present via those final glances and, as a whole, the scene feels like a love letter to longtime fans. So hearing Simon Pegg actually chat about filming the scene gives me chills.

Whether or not we see these characters again, the scene offers closure without finality. I hope we do see these characters again in some form in the future. However, this is still a satisfying and fitting ending, and I’m glad that Simon Pegg felt the same.

See Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning in theaters now. It’s one of the most visually stunning, epic movies of the year, so make sure to check it out on the biggest screen possible. Also, stream the rest of the Mission franchise now, as all seven of the films are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.

Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning has positioned itself as one of the biggest 2025 movies, with the action film reviving the summer box office the past two weeks alongside Lilo & Stitch. But was I expecting to see Glen Powell’s mom to accept the mission herself and be caught smiling for a photo with its behemoth star, Tom Cruise? No, I did not!

On Thursday afternoon Glen Powell took to his Instagram Stories to randomly share a photo of his momma, Cyndy Powell, standing next to Tom Cruise. I didn’t know I needed this, but it’s so sweet. Check it:

Powell simply captioned the cute photo with “Mission: Impossible: Final Reckoning, Mom Approved” with a check mark. I assume this means that his mom has finally seen the blockbuster, but did she get to do so with the man himself? No matter, this is such a cool flex for Glen Powell and his family!

Of course, Tom Cruise and Glen Powell have been pals since starring together in the Top Gun: Maverick cast. Because Powell’s family tags along with him on industry affairs much of the time, it definitely seems like Cyndy Powell and Cruise are very much acquainted and having a ball perhaps at a very special Final Reckoning screening. I think I see some theater chairs in the background of the shot.

Funny enough, Glen Powell was once asked about the idea of him replacing Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible movies, and the actor said his mom “would never let me do that” because doing all those stunts is such a “death trap.” He also called it the “worst gig in town,” but it looks like Mama Powell very much enjoys seeing Tom Cruise doing the job of playing Ethan Hunt, which he’s been doing for about 30 years now.

Tom Cruise and Glen Powell have clearly become close if Cruise is hanging out with his mom. It's so cool to see something like this in the world of Hollywood where family members are rarely talked about or pictured. One fact I’ve loved to know is how Powell often gives his parents cameos in his big movies, like Twisters, and they’ve also gone viral before for showing up to red carpets with him with hilarious signs.

The two big actors also have similar approaches to movies, considering Powell recently shared that he feels like he has a responsibility to make movies for “fans of movies” and is trying to do so by “teaming up with great filmmakers” like Edgar Wright for The Running Man and filming an untitled movie with J.J. Abrams. Considering the latest update we heard about Top Gun 3, we can likely look forward to Powell and Cruise being up in the air again at some point. And after this photo, we hope Mama Powell stays involved, too!

When it comes to actors pushing the boundaries of action movies today, few come close to Tom Cruise. The 62-year-old A-lister has performed some of the most impressive stunts ever put to film, including those he undertakes in the 2025 movie release Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Of course, game recognizes game, and Tom Cruise has no problem shouting out others who produce excellent work. That was the case when he shouted out Keanu Reeves, and his comments have me hoping for a collaboration between the stars.

There are plenty of excellent Keanu Reeves performances but, when it specifically comes to his work in the action genre, the John Wick films are amongst his greatest achievements. It would seem that Tom Cruise is definitely a fan of the work Reeves and his collaborators have done. While on the red carpet for The Final Reckoning, Cruise gushed about Reeves and how he’s personally enjoyed the actor’s work over the years:

Something I never tire of seeing or hearing is an actor showing support for a fellow artist, and the Edge of Tomorrow star is absolutely right. The Wick films are a showcase of incredible action, which is in great part due to the efforts of franchise director Chad Stahelski, stunt coordinators and stunt actors along with the leading man and some of his co-stars. During his chat with Extra, Tom Cruise showered even more praise on the creative team’s efforts:

Why These Comments Make Me Feel A Team-Up Should Happen (And Soon)

Considering how great Keanu Reeves and Tom Cruise are at what they do, I’m honestly now just thinking about how I'd love to see them headline a film of their own. It’s actually surprising they’ve yet to work together on a blockbuster, especially considering their vast experience with action and thriller films, and their ability to use their bodies in ways most actors don't try. (Plus, they've both been in Hollywood for a long time and I'm a little surprised have not crossed paths.)

The obvious pitch would be for Cruise and Reeves to play to characters who have to team up to complete some sort of dangerous task. However, I personally like the idea of a story that requires the two actors to play characters pitted against each other. (Just imagine how awesome a hand-to-hand fight between those two stars would be.)

As far as the general public knows, such a project isn’t in the cards, but the stars do have other titles on the docket. Tom Cruise is starring in a yet-to-be-titled film from Alejandro G. Iñárritu, which is set to hit theaters in 2026. As for Reeves, he’s set to reprise his role as John Wick in the upcoming spinoff film, Ballerina, which stars Ana de Armas, who Cruise also admires. Reeves is also set to play the Baba Yaga in a fifth film, for which a release date has yet to be announced.

I take comfort in the fact that the aforementioned leading men are still going strong and delivering top-tier entertainment. Hopefully, they’ll be able to continue to contribute great work in upcoming action movies as long as they would like and are able. And, all the while, fellow fans, keep your fingers crossed for a Cruise/Reeves collaboration.

Fate has always been kind to Ethan Hunt, even in his darkest hour. As the 2025 movie schedule sees Tom Cruise’s action mainstay choosing to accept one final mission, the end of an era has arrived. And as we honor Mission: Impossible 8 truly marking the finale, Cruise himself has highlighted the event through a heartfelt social media tribute to all who took part in, and admired, the Paramount franchise.

Taking advantage of Instagram’s image-friendly platform, the iconic action performer shared an impressive collection of Mission: Impossible photos. He showcased every director that’s taken part in this journey, as well as a bunch of shots dealing with action and friendship on set. He also tipped with this tipped his hat to those who had a hand along the way:

I still find it hard to believe that Mission: Impossible’s 1996 release is almost celebrating 30 years of fuse lighting. Maybe it’s because of the 60+ year history of James Bond movies embedded in my mind, or perhaps it’s one of those times where someone could swear that the ‘90s were just a decade ago, but it’s incredible to be sitting at this point in history.

That’s even with the bittersweet acknowledgement of how the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman is no longer with us, after seeing that beautifully goofy shot of his role in Mission: Impossible III.

As I pointed out in our Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning review, that sort of reverence is also present in director Christopher McQuarrie’s current box office hit. Short of watching all of the prior films with a Paramount+ subscription, this is one of the best sequels to use as an introductory point to new fans.

The same goes for fans who may have forgotten Dead Reckoning’s plot, as this Memorial Day blockbuster can even assist those who’ve been running with the IMF since day one. No matter how long you’ve been watching Mission: Impossible, this next message from Tom Cruise is for you:

Our time with Tom Cruise’s variant of Mission: Impossible is over, or at least it should be after The Final Reckoning’s definitive ending. With memories like the ones recalled above, and the insane stunts and twists that came as a result, who could really be sad though? If you want to pay your own respects to the adventures of Ethan Hunt, you can see the final Mission: Impossible movie as it currently reckons its way through a theater near you.

If you keep up with new movie releases, you probably already know Hollywood doesn’t make comedies quite like it used to. Take 2008's Tropic Thunder, for instance: There’s been so much talk about whether it could still be made today that people often overlook how hilarious the Ben Stiller film is. One of the best parts, and for my money, one of Tom Cruise's best roles, is the sleazy agent Les Grossman—his name says it all! For years, there have been whispers about a possible standalone film featuring Les Grossman, and it looks like we might be getting more of him. It sounds like it’s going to be "f—ing funny!"

In a recent interview, writer and director Christopher McQuarrie discussed the possibility of bringing the husky but dance-savvy Grossman back for a future project (or projects). McQuarrie, who has long collaborated with Tom Cruise, made these comments during an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast while speaking with host Josh Horowitz. He explained:

When asked whether Grossman would be the focal point of the project, the Top Gun: Maverick scribe points out that leading men have different responsibilities in movies, so this is the ultimate question. What does a return of the character look like? Would Les Grossman work best as a side character or could he lead a movie Michael Scott-style? Too much of a good thing is definitely not what I ultimately want.

The filmmaker explained the process he and Cruise have used for "riffing" on the character. According to the M:I director, it served as a way for both of them to "decompress," while on set for their most recent Ethan Hunt outing. He elaborated:

Honestly, it sounds like the two creators have gotten pretty deep into the Les Grossman possibilities. It makes sense. Cruise basically created and even pushed for the Tropic Thunder dancing and fat fingers, and has a vested interest in making the character work as his time playing Ethan Hunt comes to a close.

At the very least, it seems like both he and his longtime buddy are having a blast talking about what might happen. It would be a real bummer for Tropic Thunder fans if we don’t get to see more of Les Grossman on the big screen. Here’s hoping they figure out a cool way to bring him back!

While we wait for updates on a possible return of the Tropic Thunder OG, we can always check out Tom Cruise’s hilarious character, Les Grossman, since the movie is streaming with a Hulu subscription. As for the Jerry Maguire star and McQuarrie’s latest project, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is now in theaters, so don’t forget to look up the showtimes near you!

When you work with Tom Cruise, you are bound to end up with unbelievable stories. From legends of epic stunts and boot camp to the stories about that coconut cake he sends, the tales his colleagues have about him are endlessly entertaining. That proved to be true again, as Simon Pegg recalled a memory from filming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning that involves helicopters and sharks.

You know, it’s not surprising at all that when asked what Tom Cruise story they’d be telling at dinner parties, both Simon Pegg and Pom Klementieff had answers involving helicopters. During an interview with CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb, the Benji actor was quick to recall his story, too.

At first, he told a tale about doing a “speed zipline around an entire canyon with Tom” while they were working in Morocco. However, he then shifted gears to Final Reckoning’s release on the 2025 movie schedule, and a story about filming in South Africa. In his words:

Both Pegg and Greg Tarzan Davis had worked with Tom Cruise prior to The Final Reckoning. However, I imagine moments like this are still just as mind-blowing, no matter how many Mission: Impossible movies you’ve worked on.

Continuing his story, the Shaun of the Dead star explained what it was like to watch his co-star fly around them as they walked up this picturesque location, saying:

This feels on brand for Tom Cruise, and Pom Klementieff proved it. When asked the same question, she said that while they were shooting in London, the Ethan Hunt actor would give them a “ride home” in his helicopter.

However, Pegg's story doesn’t end with the helicopter. Oh, no. As I promised, this also involves sharks. After that magical movie moment where they watched the Top Gun actor fly by in a helicopter, and finished filming for the day, they all flew to the coast to go swimming with sharks, as the Hot Fuzz actor explained:

If this story were about any other actor, the fact that this cast seemingly went shark diving on a whim would be unfathomable. However, because this centers around Tom Cruise, I’m not shocked at all.

The actor is so committed to action and stunts, and clearly loves a good adrenaline rush. He also adores getting his co-stars into activities like this, too – I mean, he literally gifted Glen Powell flight lessons after Top Gun: Maverick.

So, overall, this fun story about Tom Cruise, helicopters and sharks fits right in with the catalog of stories other cast members have told about him. I just wish it somehow could have been committed to film like some of the best stunts in the Mission: Impossible movies, so we could experience it too.

There are some spoilers for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning that can be found throughout this story. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.

Tom Cruise has been teasing plane stunts for his latest theatrical endeavor in recent months, and doubtless by the time the (confirmed as) “last” Mission: Impossible movie ends it’s theatrical run, CinemaBlend will have dissected some of the Mission: Impossible movie's best scenes ad nauseam. Regardless, I’ll leave the M:I The Final Reckoning reviews to my peers in favor of writing about a quieter scene that I was surprised I enjoyed so much. Apparently, it was fun to film too, at least according to Nick Offerman.

In fact, one might argue the Parks & Rec actor took that sentiment a bit further, as he recently revealed to his wife Megan Mullally he’d fallen “in love” with Tom Cruise while filming. Here's what happened.

One Of The Final Reckoning’s Best Scenes Is All Talk

Tom Cruise may never have won an Academy Award, but there’s no doubt he’s an actor of a fine caliber, and I’m not just talking when he’s running across bridges and attaching himself to moving planes. During an early scene in The Final Reckoning, Ethan Hunt is in a high stakes environment and has to convince a roomful of U.S. officials, including generals and Ms. President herself, that he needs to borrow an entire aircraft carrier in order to embark on a mission surrounding a mysterious key.

Nick Offerman plays a notable role as a general in the movie, and he was there for the entirety of filming the scene with none other than Mr. Tom Cruise. In fact, he told Jimmy Kimmel on Live! that he had to lead into the actor delivering a multi-page speech that would have flubbed up many actors, but the unflappable Cruise just owned the room.

I really get this. I found the scene in question to be among the most charming in the latest (and probably) last M:I film when I saw it in theaters during an early screening. The actor is at his most charming and Ethan Hunt is deadly serious about needing an aircraft character while other members of the President’s cabinet are pretty incredulous about it. It’s a scene with a lot of levity amidst a sea of seriousness, and I’m glad Offerman was a part of it, particularly given where his arc ultimately goes.

Nick Offerman Could Not Get Enough Of Tom Cruise’s Work During The Scene

Apparently, they shot this scene quite a few times, and it never got old. By the end of filming it, the comedic actor had become a disciple of the Cruise acting game, and it sounds like he’d love to do it again, given the right project. But why was it so energizing watching the actor? He elaborated:

If you've watched the scene, it's straight up just a bunch dialogue and wild exposition to set Ethan Hunt on a path forward to find the Sevastopol submarine. It shouldn't be a great scene in the movie, but I rather enjoy the sincerity of Hunt's speech and the incredulity of the President's most trusted advisors. It's a scene that really works for me, and helps to set up the action later on.

Cruise’s charisma has been spoken about a bunch in the past, but I still think it is interesting how Offerman could feel it in the room during filming. Those who have worked with the legendary actor typically have a good story (or five) about him, but in this case, his co-star's is also a good behind-the-scenes look at how intensely even M:I dialogue scenes are filmed.

Jimmy Kimmel went on to tell Offerman he knew exactly what he was talking about, because he’s met Tom Cruise and knows he’s “relentlessly friendly.” In fact, his dad allegedly “cornered” the a-lister once for more than an hour and later told the late night host he “didn’t mind.” Class act, that.

I know we'll be talking about the submarine sequence and the wild stuff that happened in the planes in the final M:I film, but for me this scene added levity to the movie. It also allowed some big names to act together, and I'm glad it was as cool to film for them as it was for me to watch as a viewer.

Spoilers for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning are ahead! If you haven’t seen the 2025 movie schedule entry yet, you can catch it in theaters.

I’m always scared watching a Mission: Impossible stunt, because I know they’re done as practically as possible. However, nothing scared me more than the submarine sequence in The Final Reckoning. Honestly, it felt like it could have been a scene in an upcoming horror movie rather than a set piece in an M:I movie. That is one of the reasons why I love it, and the cast told CinemaBlend why they couldn’t get enough of this underwater moment either.

Let me set the scene: in the middle of Final Reckoning, Ethan Hunt has to dive down to a sunken submarine to retrieve a drive. He’s under literal and figurative pressure, he could die at any second, and the vessel starts spinning and sinking while he's in it. It’s terrifying and a miraculous piece of filmmaking. That, according to Hayley Atwell and Simon Pegg, is thanks to Tom Cruise’s commitment to stunts and various BTS pieces coming together to create one remarkable moment.

Hayley Atwell Broke Down How Tom Cruise’s Commitment To Stunts Impacts The Final Product

With each of the Mission: Impossible movies, it feels like Tom Cruise's commitment to pulling off unimaginable stunts is plastered on the screen. Hayley Atwell shared that idea with us, too, during an interview with CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb. When asked about the submarine scene specifically, she said:

The actress, who plays Grace in the film, then explained that all this is done in pursuit of the most "thrilling" moments possible, saying:

And thrill the audience he did. However, while Tom Cruise is obviously a massive reason why this sequence works, Simon Pegg revealed some other elements that helped make this moment as tense and suspenseful as it is.

Simon Pegg Explained How The Score And Revolving Set Increased The Intensity Of The Submarine Scene

While Simon Pegg said he was “dazed” and “couldn’t remember” the scene the first time he saw Final Reckoning, he had a totally different experience on his second watch. Taking in everything in the submarine sequence, the Benji actor explained that it was “immersive.” That had to do with everything from the camera work to the score and more, as the actor pointed out:

I also took note of the haunting and unique score used during this sequence, and it 100% helped build the tension and put you underwater as time started running out for Ethan.

Pegg also noted that the submarine was rolling, and recalled the “insane gimbal” they used on set to capture it. He said there were “torpedoes falling everywhere,” and when he went back to watch it a second time, he was blown away. His daughter was, too, it seems, as the actor recalled:

Angela Bassett shared a similar sentiment. She explained that watching the submarine sequence upped the stakes for the entire film, including her character’s storyline. The actress adored that intensity and how it “ups the stress level,” saying:

I also love that. I was watching the submarine scene like Pegg’s daughter, with wide eyes and my hands on my face, I loved every tense second. It was a remarkable moment and feat of filmmaking, and it’s one of the many reasons why reviews of Final Reckoning have been solid.

Honestly, this whole underwater sequence is one of the biggest and best highlights of this film. I loved it, the cast did too, and I can guarantee, it’s worth seeing it all unfold on the big screen.

Let’s say that you only know two things about Tom Cruise besides his name. One would almost certainly be that he’s the face of the Mission: Impossible movies, and the other, well, that would be that the Ethan Hunt actor always does all of his own stunts. The 2025 movie schedule has now brought us Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which has, of course, gone to entirely new heights of action and danger when it comes to those stunts. Cruise’s propensity for doing things like extreme wing-walking stunts has always gotten lots of opinions, but I can honestly say that I never thought that Sam Rockwell’s The Bad Guys 2 would enter the convo in such a cool way.

How Did The Bad Guys 2 Comment On Tom Cruise’s The Final Reckoning Stunts?

A lot of actors are fond of doing their own stunts for movies, but few are as committed and (some might say) intense about it as Tom Cruise. The Oscar nominee has pretty much always been one to go the extra mile in that category (which will finally receive Academy Award recognition at the 2028 ceremony), but for nearly three decades he’s devoted himself to learning completely new skill sets just so he can do things like eventually perform an actual space walk.

In a few months, it turns out that we will see yet another stunt-filled spectacular hit the big screen, and these stars got the jump on Cruise by beating him to the punch with that space action. Take a look!

Wowwwwww. OK, I gotta say, I both see and love what The Bad Guys 2 (which had a funny presentation at 2025 CinemaCon) did here! This special look “behind the scenes” of the DreamWorks Animation sequel “confirms” that Sam Rockwell’s Mr. Wolf and his band of reformed merry men (and one Ms. Tarantula, voiced by Awkwafina) took it upon themselves to perform a super-dangerous stunt that involved the crew getting a bit chilly in the void of space before their eventual terrestrial return.

Obviously, Rockwell, Awkwafina and their voice castmates (Marc Maron, Craig Robinson and Anthony Ramos) weren’t involved in any stunts for the making of this animated epic, but no one can deny that this is a great, hilarious way to poke a bit of fun at the Maverick star.

The Bad Guys released in 2022, and though the original received mixed to positive critical reviews, there were some who did think that factors like that awesome voice cast, the intriguing animation style, and the cool heist sequences were all fulfilling reasons to give the film a shot.

If nothing else, the sequel certainly looks to build on those first and third points. The cast has added the talents of Danielle Brooks, Natasha Lyonne, and Maria Bakalova, with Zazie Beetz, Richard Ayoade, Alex Borstein and others also returning. Meanwhile, who doesn’t want to see how these creatures survive the vacuum of space? I’m already on the edge of my seat!

Warning: spoilers for Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning are in play. All IMF operatives who haven’t been properly debriefed are warned.

We’ve finally arrived at Ethan Hunt’s final reckoning, after almost 30 years of seeing Tom Cruise’s espionage hero in action. The 2025 movie schedule has been marketed as the end of the Mission: Impossible series - at least for Cruise, anyway.

While some may feel that the eighth entry is far from final, this door is firmly closed - and for really good reason. Spoilers abound from this point on, folks; so those who want to remain unsullied can read our review on Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. For everyone else, please unseal your files, and let’s begin.

Yes, Ethan Hunt Lives At The End Of His Mission: Impossible Swan Song

Want to know how to defeat The Entity? Just ask Ethan Hunt...if you can find him. When last we saw The Final Reckoning hero, he was standing in a crowded London setting, taking a final wordless meeting with Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell), and Paris (Pom Klemantiff).

Grace hands Ethan the item that’s crucial to this ending’s finality - a storage device that contains The Entity, and after that point, our hero puts his hood up and walks away. Let’s hope he has a Paramount+ subscription to pass all of the time he’ll be spending in solitude.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Mike, Ethan isn’t shown as dying. Do you really think he’s never going to come back?” Well, Reader, I’ll say this: there may be a slim margin of error, but even with that severely narrow window in existence, you’d better hope a potential Mission: Impossible 9 doesn’t bring Mr. Hunt back to the playing field. Which leads to the loudest part of my dissenting argument.

For The Entity To Remain In Check, The Final Reckoning Needs To Stay That Way

Ethan and The Entity are made for each other. Not literally, but rather metaphorically, because the man himself is the only meat-based life form this rogue A.I. is afraid of. Which means that The Final Reckoning’s digital demon probably saw Cruise’s sick wing walking stunt, and the resulting on-screen deaths that came from them.

By showing Ethan its plan, The Entity gives its human foe the way to defeat it. Who better to take a plan to the edge, risking the lives of the entire planet, in order to vanquish a foe once and for all? For this digital genie to be kept in its bottle, it needs a minder, as Ethan is the only person who isn’t swayed by its powers of persuasion.

Which also means that when and if he ever pops up again, all parties who want to possess The Entity will be pursuing him to the ends of the earth. We saw that dance skirt the edge of nuclear armageddon in The Final Reckoning, so I don't think anyone wants to return to that state of play.

If you want The Entity to stay put, Ethan will have to totally swear himself to that IMF Oath - living in the shadows, to save those that he’ll never meet. Perhaps Dead Reckoning’s ending, and the plot that came before it, was good for something after all.

There are still more stunts and secrets to discover in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, as it debuts at a theater near you. Especially if, somehow, you want to loudly counter my disagreement with what you see as cold hard fact. This message will self-destruct in five seconds…so you can use the smoke as an excuse for any potential tears you may be shedding.

I know that when I think of Mission: Impossible, funny is not the first word that comes to mind. The Mission: Impossible movies are action-packed, thrilling and epic, those are the first descriptors that I think of. However, in preparation for The Final Reckoning’s release on the 2025 movie schedule, I rewatched all the M:I movies, and I have to say, they’re genuinely hilarious at times, and we need to appreciate that a bit more.

So, from the hijinks and creative problem-solving to the set pieces that are infused with a dash of silliness, let's talk about why Mission: Impossible’s sense of humor needs to be applauded.

Ghost Protocol Is By Far The Funniest Movie Thanks To Benji And Some Wild Technology

First of all, Ghost Protocol is my favorite Mission: Impossible movie. This fourth film in the franchise marked a turning point and began the era of M:I we know and love today. This also meant the promotion of Simon Pegg’s Benji, and that, mixed with the film’s spy tech, is where the brilliant humor comes in.

Toward the start of the film, Benji and Ethan used a fancy projector screen and a little water droplet noise maker to break into the Kremlin. That alone is silly. However, Pegg’s performance shows how much he believes in the tech while also highlighting the actor’s brilliant comedic timing.

Later in the film, Benji and Brandt teamed up, and Jeremy Renner’s character was tasked with going into what’s essentially an air duct in a magnetic suit to get to a location that would be inaccessible otherwise. He’s able to stay off the ground because he's being guided by a little rover that Benji is operating. It’s a hilarious piece of tech, and Renner and Pegg play into that, as Brandt bangs around the small space.

Truly, the technology in Ghost Protocol is so funny and creative, and I love that the actors, and specifically Simon Pegg, fully commit to its function. They highlight the defects and accept the absurdity, which makes it ultra fun to see how they get into and out of these impossible missions.

I Love How Mission: Impossible Leans Into The Absurdity Of The Fights

I find that with action movies, sometimes the characters take everything too seriously and try to make you believe that what they’re doing isn’t wild. Mission: Impossible doesn’t do that; it knows the battles they pick are outlandish and bizarre, and therefore, the way they’re handled can be quite funny.

For example, in Fallout, that incredible bathroom fight that features Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill is expertly choreographed. However, it also features some brilliant physical comedy and circumstances, like Cruise and Cavill getting stuck in a stall with an unconscious man who wakes up and then freaks out. They use the odd location to their advantage, and it’s both brilliant and comical.

The same can be said about the car chase in Dead Reckoning that involves Tom Cruise being handcuffed to Hayley Atwell. That whole situation is silly, and they know it, as proven by Ethan’s driving lessons and Grace’s exasperated reactions.

Basically, it’s brilliant action that doesn’t shy away from the comedy of it all, which ultimately makes for a wickedly entertaining set piece.

The Action In Dead Reckoning’s Bike Jump Is Epic, But The Lead Up To It Is Hilarious

Now, the big stunts in Mission: Impossible are typically known and hyped up before the movie comes out, and that was 100% the case with Dead Reckoning. We knew that the motorcycle jump was the centerpiece of that movie. However, we didn’t know why Tom Cruise’s character ended up in a position where he needed to jump off a cliff while on a motorcycle to parachute onto a moving train, and that’s where the funny bit comes in.

In the film, the plan was for Ethan to catch the train, not get to it by jumping off a cliff. However, the locomotive didn’t stop, so Benji had to guide Ethan to a point where he could meet the train. That point was a cliff, and the way Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise played out that whole exchange was hilarious, especially the part where Benji – the one who is not about to jump off a cliff – yelled:

The mix of Benji trying to drive and navigate Ethan, as Ethan responded while driving his bike and then standing on the edge of the cliff was so genuinely funny. It leaned into the ridiculousness of the circumstances in a clever and self-aware way, and for that, I applaud them.

The Best Ongoing Gag This Franchise Has Is Benji’s Desire To Wear A Mask

The masks and the reveals are iconic in Mission: Impossible, and Benji knows that. So, of course, Simon Pegg’s character wanted a mask. For multiple movies, he wanted to do the legendary M:I move, and then, in Rogue Nation, he finally gets to wear one!

It’s one of the only ongoing gags in the franchise, and I love how committed and passionate Benji is about wearing a mask. It’s a fun twist on a gadget that is a signature of this franchise, and it’s a delightful little gag that Simon Pegg just kills.

Overall, Mission: Impossible Is Self Aware, Understands Its Tone, And Makes These Movies Entertaining Through Both Action And Humor

All of this is to say, Mission: Impossible knows how to have fun. It’s aware that these missions and the technology used for them are ridiculous, and it fully celebrates that fact. Plus, with an A+ ensemble cast that includes a brilliant comedic actor like Simon Pegg, you are bound to end up with hilarious gems.

Each movie has them too, and anytime I watch the M:I films with a Paramount+ subscription, I’m filled with such genuine joy because not only are they extremely cool and action-packed, they’re also fun and genuinely funny.

I have a confession – I’ve never seen any of the Mission: Impossible movies. Well, at least until now.

I know, I know – how could the movie and TV journalist never see a single Mission: Impossible film? It’s a massive franchise! For some reason, I just never got around to watching them. I had seen bits and pieces of the original, but had never sat down and watched the entire film.

Tom Cruise’s filmography is pretty vast, and I have seen him in so many other great films that it’s hard to keep up with every action film he does. So, those movies often fall through the cracks.

But now, the Mission: Impossible franchise is supposedly coming to an end with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which is coming out soon on the 2025 movie schedule. In honor of it, I thought I’d check out the first movie and actually watch all of it. And, it was an adventure. I will say that I was entertained, but not how you probably think. Let’s get into it.

I Went In Expecting Greatness

So, obviously, I had seen some M:I scenes before. I had written a couple of small entries on why to watch it on other lists, and thought I really knew what I was getting into when I decided to sit down and watch this film.

I’m going to be honest with you and say I really did think this was going to be one of the best '90s movies. I feel like with eight films in a franchise, there’s some room for greatness there. Sure, not every film is going to be amazing, but the first movie is what sets everything off, right?

We wouldn’t have Jurassic World: Rebirth all these years later if not for the original Jurassic Park films. We wouldn’t have all those Fast and Furious movies if not for the fun original that everyone saw back in the day. I really thought M:I. with how iconic it has become, would be one of those greats.

But I Was Given…Mediocrity?

I was really wrong.

Look, Mission: Impossible isn’t inherently a bad movie. Remember that I said in the beginning that I did have fun watching this? It’s still enjoyable, and I can totally see why so many people enjoy it.

But to get the reaction and reception that this series received right after? I didn’t think it was that good.

There are a lot of spy movies out there. I’m not a huge spy movie fan and have never claimed to be. My dad is the person who would watch all the best James Bond movies and, honestly, loves the Mission: Impossible films. But I’ve seen a good number of spy films with him, so I have a relatively decent idea of what a good spy movie is.

And M:I was just sort of…eh?

I don’t know; I think I was expecting a lot more. There were plenty of scenes in this film that have been cemented as major movie moments since, such as Ethan (Cruise) descending into that vault like a spider.

But, I also wasn’t really on the edge of my seat, waiting for something to happen. It was a lot more subdued than I expected, and I’m not entirely sure that’s a great thing. The plot was already pretty predictable, but we’ll get into that later.

There Were So Many Plot Holes I Fell Into A River, Too

Remember how Jim fell into a river after he supposedly got shot in this film? That was how I felt when I stepped into every single plot hole imaginable in this movie, falling right into the river behind him.

Like I said, the plot was predictable, with the most straightforward third-act betrayal set-up that you could get from a spy movie. What actually made this movie entertaining for me is that my boyfriend and I would just laugh at the hilarities of the plot holes of this film, and things that simply did not make sense.

For example, how the heck is a helicopter fitting into a train tunnel? How on God’s green earth did the blades of that machine not get caught up in the stone or explode? But, fine, I’ll leave that up to the magic of movie-making – maybe the tunnel was big enough to fit one, who knows?

Let’s really talk about the plot. The entire point of Ethan breaking into that CIA facility was to get that NOC list, right? It was split into two parts, one with codes and the other with identities, but why would both parts be in the same area in the CIA? Wouldn’t they want to separate it if it were so important?

And you want to know one of the BIGGEST plot holes? How was that super high-tech vault not tripped by any secret sensor? Like any? None of that makes any sense. Wouldn’t there be cameras in the room??? Did no one turn them on? I’m not sure.

And The Acting Was…Not Super Great Either

This is a somewhat minor thing, but the acting in this film was not that great. I’m not expecting Academy Award-winning performances, but man, at least try something. Some actors in this film felt like they were just phoning it in.

On the bright side, I see why Cruise really enjoys this role. I genuinely don’t think I can see another person playing Ethan Hunt. I can’t get behind some of these acting choices, though. Goodness.

I Can See Why It Became A Franchise…But I Don’t Think It’s For Me

Look, I’m not saying this is a bad movie. Clearly, it’s not, since seven other films came out after it, and people do love it. However, what I am saying is that I don’t think it’s for me.

I think I grew up in a time where there has been such a high saturation of spy movies that I’m sick of them, and watching movies like this, which feel very predictable, kind of makes me not want to watch them. I can totally understand why this film spawned a franchise…But I don’t think it’s for me.

I’ll take the best fantasy movies, or the best sci-fi horror films, or literally anything else, but I think spy fans can keep Ethan Hunt. My mind can’t seem to separate the realities of espionage from the ridiculousness of this film. And that’s on me. But hey, at least my dad has enjoyed the heck out of these movies.

It’s no secret that Tom Cruise is the master of committing to the action and pulling it off in the most practical way possible, and as our review for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning highlights, said action turns out to be epic on screen. However, it also means lots of planning and training go into the creation of his movies, and his co-stars in the extra action-filled ones go through a boot camp of sorts. It happened on Top Gun: Maverick famously, and the latest M:I movie had some intense training too, as Greg Tarzan Davis, who starred in both films, explained to us.

In the lead up to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s release on the 2025 movie schedule, there’s been a ton of hype around its epic plane stunts and overall action. So, when CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb interviewed the cast, he asked Greg Tarzan Davis, who plays Degas in Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning and Coyote in Top Gun: Maverick, if the M:I boot camp was similar to Top Gun’s training. In response, the actor said:

“Always be prepared” seemed to be the motto on both M:I and Top Gun, which makes sense considering both feature death-defying action that requires training and specific safety protocol to pull off. So, basically, in terms of Mission: Impossible, whether their characters touch a dirtbike or get behind the wheel for a chase or not, the actors are prepared to do it, and they understand the mission they've chosen to accept.

During Top Gun: Maverick's boot camp, the cast went through training that prepared them to fly in F/A-18s. Flying with fighter pilots is no easy task, and Lewis Pullman even admitted to throwing up in the cockpit at one point. Miles Teller also said they got “put through the wringer” while filming the movie.

Teller also noted that since they were all “mini Toms making this movie,” they needed to train like him.

It sounds like this mentality and rigorous training apply to Mission: Impossible, too. While they aren’t flying fighter jets in these movies, they are getting into car chases, fights and partaking in some terrifying stunts, so boot camp seems necessary. As Greg Tarzan Davis pointed out, they wanted to be “confident” and “able to do any and everything.”

Overall, learning the story behind how casts train for movies like these makes me appreciate the project even more. While witnessing the epic movie magic on a big screen is incredible, I’m even more in awe when I learn about how much time, effort, preparation and training went into pulling something off.

To see all this training Greg Tarzan Davis described in action, you can catch Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in theaters on May 23. You can also see him and Tom Cruise making some epic action together by streaming both the Mission: Impossible movies and Top Gun: Maverick with a Paramount+ subscription.

Tom Cruise runs Hollywood…and pretty much anywhere his feet can carry him. As the 2025 movie schedule sees our maverick IMF agent facing danger one last time, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning draws Ethan Hunt’s story to a close. However, even Mr. Cruise’s insistence that this is the last chapter won’t stop him from running, as he’s been a fan for longer than you’d think.

Sharing what equates to his sprinting origin story with Australian talk show The Project, the action superstar describes something that sounds like the beginning to an inspirational sports biopic. As you can read for yourself, that’s not a knock, but a tribute to how sweet this tale actually is:

I don’t think this would legally be considered a Tom Cruise running story if there wasn’t some sort of natural element involved. So, having those puddles in the mix is kind of an essential component; kind of like how you need a Paramount+ subscription to sprint through all seven previous films before The Final Reckoning.

But even if you’re not an adrenaline junkie who tries to re-enact some of Mission: Impossible’s most ridiculous stunts, this need for speed is something anyone can identify with.

As he continued to discuss his love affair with running, Cruise dug into what it is that continues to draw him to this physical activity. Brace yourself, because this is probably one of the most idyllic descriptions of that very action you’ll ever read:

One can see a slippery slope of sorts in effect here, as this Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning lead went from running through puddles to jumping bikes off of incredibly high cliffs. But no matter what the new set piece stunt is in each outing, there’s at least one impressive run that stops the show; as you’ll see in this reel of Mission running highlights:

For as much as Tom Cruise loves to push his body like a sports car, it’s still humbling to hear about Mission: Impossible’s non-stunt-related frustrations. At the same time, it kind of makes me want to run myself, full speed, until I feel like giving out; which is basically what this very franchise has done. And the finish line isn’t too far off, as The Final Reckoning will be upon us, starting with early showings on May 22nd.

After nearly 30 years of jaw-dropping (and expensive) stunts and globe-trotting espionage, Mission: Impossible is officially heading for its conclusion. Tom Cruise confirmed that the upcoming Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning, when the eighth entry in the franchise lands on the 2025 movie release schedule, will mark Ethan Hunt’s last mission.

The star broke the news at the film’s New York premiere, telling The Hollywood Reporter, telling the outlet that the title means what it says. According to Cruise:

The Jerry Maguire star’s comments come just two years after he expressed admiration for Harrison Ford continuing to headline blockbusters into his '80s. Now 62, Cruise has upgraded that ambition into something even bolder. He isn’t just inspired, he’s all in. He sees no expiration date for his career and is ready to keep entertaining for decades to come.

Action, drama, comedy, the Oblivion performer is not picking favorites. And as he made clear on the red carpet, he’s nowhere near finished. He continued:

Despite the end of Mission: Impossible, the Top Gun: Maverick actor has no intention of stepping away from the screen. At 62, he doubled down on his passion for filmmaking, saying he plans to keep acting well past 80. What started as an aspiration inspired by Harrison Ford has become a bold promise: Cruise aims to keep going into his 100s. He’s not retiring. He’s accelerating.

The '80s heartthrob turned action movie star has allegedly been working on a secret flick with the upcoming Ballerina star Ana de Armas. Of course, this has sparked rumors of romantic relationships, but the two claim to be nothing but colleagues working on something action fans are going to love.

Looking back on nearly three decades of Mission: Impossible, the series lead reflected on what the franchise has meant to him. He emphasized the deep rewards of working with filmmakers, crews, and different cultures worldwide. He added:

That sense of relentless curiosity and drive makes Cruise, well, Cruise. The Final Reckoning brings back director Christopher McQuarrie, who described the movie’s headliner as "the most giving, most game" collaborator he’s worked with. McQuarrie praised The Minority Report star’s willingness to dive headfirst into new challenges, calling him a great teacher and student.

The film also features a stacked cast, including Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, Angela Bassett, Esai Morales, Henry Czerny, and Nick Offerman. With its theatrical release set for Friday, anticipation is sky-high as fans prepare to say goodbye to one of action cinema’s most iconic roles.

Even though this might be Ethan Hunt's last mission, it’s not the end for Tom Cruise. He’s already gearing up for new projects in different genres. His latest deal with Warner Bros. hints that he’ll be producing and maybe even helping out the next wave of filmmakers. Before you say goodbye to this awesome franchise, why not check out the earlier movies with a Paramount+ subscription?

While there are a lot of horror films among 2025 movie releases, I have a feeling few will have me holding my breath as much as the upcoming Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning. As Tom Cruise's co-star, Simon Pegg, recently reminded us all, Cruise does ALL of his own stunts, and they're often jaw-dropping. Given I’m stressed enough seeing them play out on the big screen, I’m amazed about what the movie’s director said about how he has to keep cool while watching them play out in real time.

Christopher McQuarrie, who has helmed the last four Mission: Impossible movies including Final Reckoning, recently shared how bringing these big stunts together creates “a lot of stress.” However, he also admitted to having to check that anxiety at the door when shooting these scenes. As he shared with Deadline:

It sounds like those involved in the stunts for Mission: Impossible have to stay really calm and collected in order to accomplish these scenes at all, and McQuarrie had to follow suit. As he continued:

It’s all about mindset, isn’t it? If you’re stressed out and anxious about something as complicated as Tom Cruise hanging off the wing of a plane while he's 8000 feet in the air with winds blowing as fast as 140 miles per hour, then you probably aren't prepared. (By the way, Cruise actually performs such a plane stunt in Final Reckoning.) With that in mind, it's understandable as to why Christopher McQuarrie has had to ditch his fears. In his words:

While this makes perfect sense on paper, it sounds like an impossible mission to have this much mental fortitude on one of the biggest and most high-stakes movie sets ever. The Final Reckoning reportedly cost around $400 million to make (per The Hollywood Reporter), with production delays including the 2023 Hollywood strikes being partially to blame. Those costs make it one of the most expensive movies ever made. And McQuarrie is in the middle of every decision that has to be made from a production standpoint, and it’s wild to think he had to be so calm and collected.

So far, reactions to new Mission: Impossible movie have been mostly positive, with CinemaBlend’s own Jessica Rawden calling it an “anxiety-inducing” “showstopper." In our own four-star Final Reckoning review, Mike Reyes dubs the film a “fitting finale” and says that aside from some “rough edges” it has all the ingredients you want from the franchise. So I'd say that Christopher McQuarrie's fearless direction and approach weren't for nothing. Check out the movie when it hits theaters on May 23.

On May 22, 1996, audiences accepted a mission that seemed impossible: a successful modern adaptation of a classic TV series. Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible franchise have long outlasted the original fad that gave it life, with almost 30 years under the belt of this Paramount Pictures franchise. But as we’re commonly reminded, all good things must come to an end – which is part of why the eighth chapter in this series has been given the subtitle The Final Reckoning. That reality is bittersweet, because while this does feel like a big goodbye to Ethan Hunt, the story that’s employed to bid this farewell is going to leave you wanting more.

Two months after the events of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has once more gone into hiding. Refusing several requests to rejoin the fight against The Entity’s malicious A.I. antics, the governments of the world are on the brink of all out war. With Ethan's Impossible Mission Force team still assembled (Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementiff, and Ving Rhames) and nemesis Gabriel (Esai Morales) also remaining on the board, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning boils down to a four-day window that could spell nuclear armageddon.

Anyone wondering if director Christopher McQuarrie’s fourth entry in the Mission lexicon can be enjoyed without prior knowledge is in for a bit of a paradox. While The Final Reckoning does have tons of callbacks, flashbacks, and exposition that gives you the Cliff’s Notes version of Ethan’s exploits up to this point, having experiencing those previous adventures does lend depth to all of the shocking turns.

That’s something very important to consider, as our eighth and final joyride with superspy Ethan Hunt tries to tie up a whole lot of loose ends in its almost three-hour running time. Which is both a blessing and a curse, due to all of the moving parts this continuity has integrated over the last three decades.

Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning gleefully flies through almost three hours of action, fan service, and intrigue.

Let’s just put some good news on the table right up front. As someone who’s followed Mission: Impossible’s movies from the beginning, I can confidently say that this is a proper finale to Tom Cruise’s spy game. Even better still, I’m very happy to report that The Final Reckoning is a vast improvement from Dead Reckoning, despite being cut from the same story cloth.

Following its slightly more convoluted predecessor, this picture starts in high gear, and doesn’t let up until it crosses the finish line – which is something I’ll always commend a nearly three-hour movie for being able to do. Perhaps it’s the supposed finality of this eighth Mission that inspired Christopher McQuarrie and co-writer Erik Jendresen in plotting what’s being billed as the swan song for this iteration of this espionage saga.

The former’s love for the 1996 franchise started is still clear throughout various choices in the narrative at work, with a gigantic hat tip to Mission: Impossible III poised to also give loyal IMF fans another moment to gleefully snap and point at the screen a la Rick Dalton. If you’ve missed the days of the more fleshed out team-based dynamic previous missions have contained, then consider that another jewel in The Final Reckoning’s crown.

Series newcomers Hayley Atwell and Pom Klemantiff get to land outstanding moments of quippy dialogue and intense action, while Simon Pegg’s return boosts his role in the team to a point where Benji Dunn even gets to throw hands. Wrapping it all together is a pleasant undercurrent of humor, which keeps our IMF agents moving in a style more akin to the halcyon days of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Reintroducing that element also helps supporting cast members like Severance’s Tramell Tillman make the most of their limited screen time. But that also ties into a slight downside to what the past couple of outings have been trying to do.

While The Final Reckoning is a fitting finale, there are still some rough edges that could have been sanded out.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been invested in this series since the beginning that I find my own expectations for how Mission Impossible 8 would wrap to be slightly unfulfilled. Simultaneously, there are some instances where the dedication to the past is a little overzealous, with highlights featured in the opening montage being repeated at various points in the overall narrative. It’s minor, and probably more suited for casual viewers who haven’t owned a copy of Brian de Palma's original Mission: Impossible through three eras of physical media.

But if you’re a die hard for this saga, it really is a minor gripe when it comes to The Final Reckoning’s well-paced thrill ride. Whereas Dead Reckoning felt like it flew a bit too fast when it came to setting up its narrative, Christopher McQuarrie’s steady hand in co-writing and directing the sequel help right the ship. It's an apt metaphor considering Tom Cruise’s voyage to the sunken wreckage of the Sevastapol is a prime example of the pacing.

More recent Mission: Impossible adventures have made it a habit of advertising a massive practical stunt as the big draw, which has left the story a bit lacking in other places. There’s still a pretty huge feat on display with Cruise’s madness-inducing biplane chase sequence, and that moment is as fantastic as advertised. But the true star of the show is the submarine adventure, which pushes Ethan to even more extreme circumstances.

The Sevastapol sequence couldn’t have been placed at a more perfect point in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s story either. Taking place in Act II, this moment galvanizes the final act with well earned urgency; which is only goosed along even further by the return of Angela Bassett as President Erika Sloane.

As we frequently cut back to the President and her advisors as the weigh their options to beat The Entity, the film shifts into a small-scale remake of Sidney Lumet’s Fail Safe. Considering Christopher McQuarrie loves to reference classics like Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much as much as he enjoys connecting previous Missions, the result helped me forget the fact that this cadre doesn’t really get much development in the grand scheme of things. While the massive cast of players in The Final Reckoning don’t all get proper setups and payoffs, cast members like Holt McCallany and Nick Offerman do their best to keep us invested, through a combination of gravitas and shorthand.

A topical blockbuster that doesn’t squander its message, Mission: Impossible’s “final” entry is a blockbuster to be reckoned with.

If there’s any one thing that makes the “final” Mission: Impossible film worth seeing, it’s that it’s a timely story that doesn’t go too wild with its message. The Entity’s power of misinformation is better fleshed out in this conclusion, as we see the consequences it has on the larger world. Modern concerns over A.I., deep fakes, and fake news are reflected rather brilliantly here and in a way that doesn’t preach to the audience.

Once more, Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie’s combined talents have given us a summer blockbuster worth showing up for. Come to think of it, the whole premise of rethinking reality and examining long held narratives a bit harder plays even better in The Final Reckoning, as one of the core questions asked in this tale cuts down to something the pickiest audience member may have asked long ago: is Ethan Hunt really good at his job?

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has lit the fuse on summer movie season, and the resulting explosion is one that other legacy-adjacent titles are going to have to reckon with. The eighth outing for this action-adventure mainstay proves that stakes are back, humor is back, and Ethan Hunt has arrived for audiences to trust him… one last time. And to put a more familiar spin on things, I firmly believe that you should choose to accept this mission.

After a much longer than expected wait, the 2025 movie schedule is set to deliver Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning to audiences on May 23. While we still have questions about Tom Cruise’s soon-to-be blockbuster (like whether or not this will actually be Ethan Hunt’s final impossible mission, for good or ill), there’s no doubt that the movie will be filled to the brim with death-defying stunts, many of which are performed by Cruise himself. Now the superstar has spoken about doing some extreme wing-walking for the new film, and, I gotta say, all it makes me want to do is keep my whole body firmly planted on the ground!

What Did Tom Cruise Say About Wing Walking For Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning?

Anyone who knows anything about movies knows that Tom Cruise don’t play when it comes to making sure his action-packed epics are chockablock with unbelievable stunts. Early reviews are now out, and the latest M:I has been called a “symphony of danger, stakes, tension, and levity,” so I think we can all bet that it’ll bring us something we’ve pretty much never experienced before.

Cruise has always been open about his daredevil tendencies, and when it comes to The Final Reckoning, we’ve already heard a lot about how he had to literally fight to survive some of the action sequences created for the film. One of the difficult (yes, that’s an understatement) stunts sees the Oscar nominee wing walk (which required a massive breakfast) while the plane he’s on is flying at 120 miles per hour. He hit the Cannes Film Festival recently and made a surprise visit at a TikTok creators’ event (via Variety), and when asked about the stunt, said:

Lord. I’m already nervous about just watching this stunt, and he hasn’t even talked specifics about being on the wing yet. I haven’t flown a lot in my life, but I manage it pretty well when I do, even going through turbulence. But, something I will never, ever (EVER) come close to is setting out to walk on the wing of a flying plane. Hell, I’m a teensy bit afraid of heights, so I don’t even want to get on the wing of a plane that’s safely parked. I mean, we have gravity for a very good reason, OK? The star continued:

I’m sorry. So, you’re telling me that he was on the wing of a plane however many hundreds or thousands of feet in the air…and he knew the engine would just stop at some point because of the type of plane they had to use? NO THANK YOU, SIR.

Man, he wasn’t kidding when he said that this stunt was “really, really extreme.” Though 99.9% of us will never come close to doing anything like this (for work or fun), that’s kinda why it’s nice that we can rely on Tom Cruise to literally step out on a wing (or cliff edge…or super-highrise window…etc.) so that all us movie fans can live vicariously through him. And, we can all see how yet another round of incredibly dangerous stunts turned out when the newest Mission: Impossible franchise film hits theaters soon.

There’s no denying the excitement that surrounds the impending release of a Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible movie, and two years after Dead Reckoning Part One, the sequel — and eighth movie overall — is finally hitting the 2025 movie calendar. With the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning release date just around the corner, critics have had the chance to see early screenings, and they’re hitting social media with some wild reactions to what may be Cruise’s final chapter.

The upcoming action movie picks up two months after the end of Dead Reckoning, with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) continuing his mission to stop Gabriel (Esai Morales) from obtaining an A.I. program called “The Entity.” Cruise has gotten fans hyped for more stunts, and CinemaBlend’s own Jessica Rawden posts that we’ll be talking about one action sequence for years. In her words:

Austin Putnam writes that if Mission: Impossible 8 is, indeed, the final installment of Ethan Hunt’s story, this is a pretty good way to end it. Putnam says:

While many said Fallout — one of the best action movies of all time — remains their favorite, others think The Final Reckoning might surpass it. Zach Pope says it balances emotion and stunts for a perfect finale, writing:

The Mission: Impossible 8 cast includes Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny and Angela Bassett reprising their roles alongside Tom Cruise, all of whom contribute to what K.E.V.I.N. Fenix says is possibly the best action flick ever made:

With action sequences that reportedly even made Tom Cruise nervous, the stunts are definitely a major takeaway from early screenings, as Courtney Howard posts:

Several others also strongly suggest moviegoers catch The Final Reckoning on IMAX, if you’re able, to get the full effect of Christopher McQuarrie’s “sphincter-tightening” stunts. as Simon Thompson puts it:

Mark Daniell of The Toronto Sun specifically notes the wild plane scene, but Tom Cruise’s underwater stunts have also been garnering a lot of buzz. Daniell writes:

Landon Johnson joins the others in a glowing first reaction, posting:

I’m excited to see what critics have to say when they’re allowed to expand on these initial thoughts, but I’m mostly just pumped to see some more death-defying action from this nearly 30-year-old franchise. If Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a mission you choose to accept, you can purchase your impossibly cool popcorn bucket and head to theaters starting Friday, May 23.

Tom Cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime talent, with the actor being an endlessly bankable action star thanks to his penchant for wild stunts. He's in some of the best action movies ever, and all eyes are on what he's bringing in the next (and final?) Mission: Impossible movie. The 62 year-old actor just shared a video of him skydiving with a camera attached to him, and the comments section is blowing up.

What we know about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is limited, its star is once again expected to pull of some absurd stunts. Case in point: the following Instagram post, which shows him jumping out of a plane in order to get the proper footage for his signature character Ethan Hunt.

I mean, how insane is that? As a nervous flyer who is scared of heights, this is basically my worst nightmare. But Cruise is a king of stunts, and seems to be thoroughly comfortable flying through the air and plummeting to the ground for the sake of authentic moviemaking.

While Tom Cruise shot underwater for Mission: Impossible, jumping out of a plane might be even scarier. The comments section is filled with folks gassing the iconic actor up, including:

• I would have lost 7 lives mid air 😂 how’s this man doing it like it’s some vid game experience - Kenny HT
• Forget CGI. Tom Cruise is the special effect! 🔥 - ninja_yari
• Superstar my fav tom 👍😊 - aryamanhema
• Everytime he does this it's still as amazing as the first time he did it!🙌 - the3rdcoastglowup
• Honestly the Oscars should create a stunt award category and name it after TOM CRUISE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 - donslim52

I have to share the sentiment about losing my mind if I was the person going through this insane stunt. But after previous stunts like Cruise clinging to the outside of a flying plane, maybe skydiving is just not as intense. Sometimes celebrities really aren't just like us.

The comments section of Cruise's post is overwhelmingly filled with love and excitement for the forthcoming Mission: Impossible movie. This is seemingly an indicator of just how passionately the public feels about the franchise, and certainly seems to bode well for its future box office performance. Who doesn't love a new Tom Cruise movie?

The Top Gun icon puts in a ton of work into each of his stunts, including his diet. Tom Cruise admitted to eating two dozen eggs before certain scenes, giving his body the fuel it needs to accomplish the shoot. One can only imagine just how many he went through for the next Mission: Impossible movie.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is expected to hit theaters on May 23rd as part of the 2025 movie release list. And smart money says that project will followed by more calls for Top Gun 3 to be produced.

The entertainment industry is just another job at the end of the day. It’s often hard to remember that because we as the audience see actors as different than us, they live different lives. But work life balance is incredibly difficult to balance, especially when you’re away filming. This is especially challenging when you are part of a larger franchise that might take you in different locations across the world. Actor Jeremy Renner shares his reasons for why he stepped away from the Mission: Impossible movies.

In an interview with Josh Horowitz on his podcast Happy, Sad, Confused, Jeremy Renner speaks a bit about his book My Next Breath: A Memoir, as well as share his experiences working in the film industry, and in his personal life. While talking about his role as Hawkeye in the MCU, Horowitz asked Renner about his commentary in his memoir about walking away from Marvel. He had this to say in response:

For those who don’t know much about Renner, pre-Hawkeye; back in 2010 Renner confirmed that he was being set up at the to take over the Mission: Impossible franchise following Ghost Protocol. We at CinemaBlend even gave him a seven out of ten for his performance as William Brandt. Especially since Tom Cruise had an interesting way of convincing Renner to join the franchise in the first place.

Returning to this time on Happy, Sad, Confused, Renner elaborated a little bit more as to why he stepped away from Mission: Impossible to focus on his daughter.

Filming for a movie does take an exceptionally long time, for us as an audience it really tests our patience. However, we do forget that all this time for filming, every delay, every reshoot is more time that this actor or actress has to be away from their family. And at the time, Ghost Protocol was supposed to be the end for Ethan Hunt, and as we know that didn’t happen, seeing as there was many movies that followed.

Being part of any movie or show does take a lot of time away, other actors like Jason Momoa have stated that they are thankful their careers took off after his children have grown older and don’t care as much to cling to their dad. This is a very similar statement Renner made about his daughter, stating that now that she’s older she’s not as big on hanging around him as much, which is why he is still part of the MCU for the time being. As for his view on being part of a movie for that long, as well as co-star Tom Cruise being willing to be away for filming for so long, Renner closed with this simple, but heartwarming statement.

It’s an admirable choice for anyone to choose their family and their children over their career. While it may seem like that is a no-brainer as a parent, there is a certain level of societal pressure to keep up with the characters the audience loves; especially since William Brandt is one of a handful of characters that people want to see again. But as he has stated, Renner is proud of that choice to focus on his best job, which is being a father to his daughter.

If you follow red carpet fashion, you might remember the time Emily Blunt turned up to the 2024 Oscars sporting a dress with floating shoulders. Her ensemble was definitely on display for everyone to see as, later that very night, Oppenheimer won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It’s been over a year since Blunt’s dress went viral and, now, fellow British actress Hayley Atwell is picking up the trend while promoting one the biggest 2025 movie releases, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.

Ahead of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning's release at the end of this month, Hayley Atwell and the cast of the movie have been globe-trotting to promote Ethan Hunt’s latest (and possibly final) mission. As part of that press tour, the team stopped in Seoul, South Korea for a premiere. While there, Hayley Atwell absolutely stunned in her dress, which you can see below:

Atwell wore a dress from Sabina Bilenko, which features the floating shoulders look some fans may remember Emily Blunt popularizing all too well. It’s a form-fitting black gown with a low-cut neck and a gorgeous silver halter top to complete it. While many (including myself) were bewildered by the floating shoulders last year, this is an honestly really sexy take on the style, and I'm totally here for it. I guess Emily Blunt better watch out, especially if she felt any personal ownership over the trend.

When Blunt stepped out in her floating shoulders dress, the comments that came out were things like “I’m so distracted by the shoulders” or “why is it levitating off her shoulders?” or “why won’t her straps sit on her shoulders?” But, in the case of Atwell’s glamorous appearance in Seoul, commenters didn’t spend any time criticizing her fit. When Atwell shared the dress on Instagram, she was met with comments like the ones below:

• “This needs to be hanging in a gallery asap! 🔥” - @joshsmithhosts
• “Boom!!!! Absolutely breathtaking. 😍” - @sophiamylesofficial
• “🔥🔥 OBSESSED🔥🔥” - @kennethsohmakeup
• “The dress is so beautifull !!” - @sylviasupremacy._

Obviously, there’s room for both Emily Blunt and Hayley Atwell’s fashion sensibilities on all the red carpet functions, and I’d never choose between them. However, it’s rather interesting how the same trend is seemingly being lauded a lot more after Atwell debuted her version. Honestly, I think it’s because Atwell’s dress is just better. Nevertheless, if Blunt didn’t make the bold choice to rock the floating shoulders trend in the first place, would we even be gazing upon this dress from the latest Mission: Impossible premiere?

At the end of the day, fashion is all about expression, and I love seeing these big celebrities popularize something new on red carpets. Florence Pugh, who wore the floating shoulders trend at last year’s Oscars as well, also rocked some padded straps recently that totally reminded us of this trend, too.

Before Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning hits theaters on May 30, Hayley Atwell and the cast will head to the Cannes Film Festival to premiere the film next week. With that, it's likely that fashionistas will be looking out for what the actress wears then.

As someone who absolutely loves the popcorn bucket craze, there’s one I’ve had my eyes keenly trained on for the 2025 movie schedule. Late last year, we were promised that Mission: Impossible 8’s concessions collectable had “nailed it,” and with my fandom of that Tom Cruise film series also in play, I couldn’t wait to see what the result would be. Well, we finally have our first look at one of The Final Reckoning’s popcorn buckets; and the result is something that could only come from the Mission: Impossible movies.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s Entity Popcorn Bucket Is Pretty Cool

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to entrust The Entity with your snacking enjoyment. At least, that’s what it looks like with Regal Cinemas’ newly revealed Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning concession vessel. And as you’ll see in the promo video below, you’re going to need to do more than lift a latch to get to your snacks:

Oh, Tom Cruise must have loved this when he first saw it. Though the franchise star vetoed the previously pitched submarine popcorn bucket modeled after the Sevastapol, the part of the ship where The Entity lurks is now the star of the show.

Considering popcorn buckets can vary between theater chains, this may not be the last we’ve seen of The Final Reckoning’s new toys. Which could mean that future rewatches through a Paramount+ subscription would see viewers also enjoying this flick's eventual streaming debut in style.

However, while Mission: Impossible’s recently unveiled bucket of doom does look awesome, there’s one key thing I’ve been thinking about. No, seriously, the way this bucket opens might cause some panic for people who want to actually use it on a somewhat regular basis.

The Entity Popcorn Bucket Has One Potential Problem I’m Worried About

Having a replica of the Cruciform Key that’s used to activate The Entity is something too cool to pass up. However, that key looks like it’s made of the same plastic that the bucket is molded from, and you need it to open and secure the bucket. Which leads me to one big question: what the hell happens if you break the key, or worse, snap the key while it’s in the lock?

I get that people mostly buy these items to display, but I think we’d be fools if we didn’t address this matter now. Maybe I should have submitted my idea to use Mission: Impossible III’s Rabbit’s Foot as the popcorn bucket design after all. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for what other collectables The Final Reckoning will be rolling out for its May 23rd release.

Tom Cruise may be 62, yet he still insists on doing his own stunts, from climbing the tallest building in the world to driving motorcycles off cliffs. But in the upcoming Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, hitting the 2025 movie release schedule on May 21, the action icon pulls out all the stops, this time with a high-stakes underwater sequence he’s been building toward for four decades. Naturally, he shared a behind-the-scenes look on social media, and it goes so hard, proving that the Minority Report performer isn’t just making movies, he’s making cinematic history.

In a new Instagram video post, Cruise revealed behind-the-scenes footage of himself prepping, suiting up, and diving into a deepwater tank to film one of The Final Reckoning’s biggest sequences. The post’s caption reads, “It’s all about preparation and communication.” In the clip, which you can watch below, he and director Christopher McQuarrie are shown mapping the dive beat-for-beat, using hand signals and rehearsing underwater maneuvers with precision.

The sequence aboard the submerged wreck of the Sevastopol, a Russian submarine hiding the core of the film’s main antagonist, The Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence. Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt must reach the AI’s housing, a glowing orb hidden in the depths, before it can be recovered and used against humanity. What’s teased in the BTS footage is far from a basic dive. Instead, fans are treated to a set piece involving falling debris, malfunctioning compartments, and torpedoes rattling loose, all while Hunt fights the clock and his oxygen levels.

The Jerry McGuire veteran star has long been obsessed with pushing action filmmaking to its limits, but this latest feat shows a level of ambition even by his standards. With the help of McQuarrie—his collaborator since Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation—the pair crafted what they call “an underwater sequence unlike any other.” The scope is massive, and the execution feels more like a real-world dive mission than a movie set. And unlike previous entries, there’s a rawness to the stunt work that reminds viewers why Cruise remains unmatched when it comes to the best action movie sequences.

It’s also a full-circle moment. In a previous Instagram post, Cruise captioned the work on the water sequences, referencing Legend (1985), one of his early fantasy films, where he first tackled complex underwater shots. The actor wrote:

Forty years later, the Top Gun star has built an entire franchise around escalating physicality. The eighth entry into the series of spy action thrillers might be his boldest leap yet, because he’s seen holding on to the wing of a biplane in the Final Reckoning trailers, but now we know that’s just the tip of things, as we are also getting a death-defying underwater sequence. If the rumors are true that this is Hunt’s final mission, the actor is making sure he goes out with something audiences haven’t seen before—and probably won’t see again.

With the film’s release just weeks away, the buzz around this underwater stunt is heating up. Whether or not The Final Reckoning marks the end of the line for Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise’s commitment to doing it for real reminds us why Mission: Impossible remains the gold standard for action movie franchises.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning releases in theaters on May 23, 2025.

Tom Cruise has done some absolutely incredible stunts over the years. He’s climbed the tallest building in the world and he’s driven motorcycles off of cliffs. The way that Cruise presents himself, it’s as if it’s all in a day's work. However, Simon Pegg says that the movie star does get nervous, at least sometimes, as he once did before the major set piece of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.

Simon Pegg has been on hand for most of the Mission: Impossible movies and thus has had a front row seat to Tom Cruise’s wild stunts. Pegg tells People Cruise was smiling the entire time he was hanging off the Burj Khalifa for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. However, that wasn’t the case when Cruise had to hang off the outside of a cargo plane for Rogue Nation. Pegg said…

Hanging off a cargo jet as Cruise does in Rogue Nation is the sort of stunt where lots can do wrong. There’s, of course, there's wind that’s pushing against him the entire time, but hanging off a plane also opens Cruise up to flying debris of all sorts. It’s the kind of thing that can’t really be controlled for in the moment, and could have led to serious injury had anything actually hit him. The stunt

Certainly, every precaution is taken to ensure safety on these stunts. Everybody is well aware of what the worst-case scenario is. But one can imagine that hanging off the side of an airplane in mid-air, there’s only so much that can be done. It feels like whatever harness is designed to keep somebody from falling off a building would feel safer than whatever harness was designed to keep somebody from falling off an airplane. The Cruise didn't only make the actor nervous. Cruise admits it also terrified his mother.

Of course, one then has to wonder how one of the major stunts for Mission: Impossible -The Final Reckoning compares to the others, considering it was also a stunt that involved Cruise hanging from an airplane. Rather than being a massive cargo jet, Cruise is seen hanging off the wing of a small plane in the Final Reckoning trailers. Maybe the fact that the plane was smaller actually made it less scary.

Honestly, it’s nice to know that Tom Cruise even gets nervous pulling off some of these stunts. He’s always looking so confident so much of the time that it humanizes him to know that he is capable of fear.

We are nearing what might very well be the end of one of our most enduring film franchises, as the eagerly awaited Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning hits the 2025 movie schedule on May 23. While Tom Cruise’s action-packed entry will wrap up the story that was begun in 2023’s Dead Reckoning, his Ethan Hunt may or may not be ready to call it quits when it comes to his long line of impossible missions. Relative newcomer to the M:I franchise, Hayley Atwell, just offered up a lovely sentiment about working on the last movie and fans are all over her comments.

What Did Hayley Atwell Say About Filming Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning And How Are Fans Responding?

There are still some mysteries surrounding Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and one of those is definitely about whether or not (despite the title and the general “one last time” feel of the trailer) this will actually be the final film (overall or even just for stunt-junkie leading man Tom Cruise). Though that answer is yet to be revealed, Marvel star Hayley Atwell, who began portraying Grace in the franchise with the seventh installment, Dead Reckoning, recently took to Instagram to share some wonderful comments about the “grace” needed to work on the upcoming hit:

Because of pandemic delays and the SAG-AFTRA strike, it took a whole five years for the Reckoning portion of the M:I movies to be completed, which is truly a long time, even for films with super-intricate and death-defying action scenes. As Atwell noted in her post, however, the cast and crew wouldn’t have been able to get through it all without “dedication, courage and camaraderie,” which they leaned on to deliver a thrilling and satisfying conclusion to the millions of fans who’ve been following the story of Ethan and his team since 1996.

Her words didn’t go unnoticed, as fans popped into the comments to share their responses, like:

• Can't wait to see this 🙌 You absolutely stunned in your performance as Grace, can't wait to see the sequel
• I absolutely am ecstatic the theatrical release date draws near, Hayle Ya!! 🥳🎊 I love your presence as Grace so far in the franchise and canNOT wait to see where you take her in this installment! 🙌🙌🙏😃
• CONGRATS and THANKS!😍👏❤️ I can't wait!!😉
• One last time… cannot wait to see what happens with Grace in The Final Reckoning!! 😃
• If Tom steps back, you’ll have to take over. You know that don’t you. What will we do?! We need a regular mission 😊
• Think about a Grace Spin Off Movie 🎥 👍👍

Introduced in the previous film as an incredibly skilled, globe-trotting thief who gets pulled into Ethan’s mission to locate keys to the rogue AI known as The Entity, it’s clear from these comments that Atwell’s Grace has already become a big and beloved part of the movies. Fans haven’t even seen her second outing as the character, and they’re already talking about giving her a spinoff or having her lead the franchise going forward if Cruise is really done after this (which the actress has her doubts about).

All in all, it points to how big of an impact she’s already made, and why the cast and crew worked so hard to bring fans The Final Reckoning through so many delays.

Tom Cruise’s running style has become almost as iconic as his movies. It seems like every movie he’s in, the actor is at some point in a full sprint with bladed hands by his side. The Mission: Impossible movies especially often include significant sequences of Cruise just running. This may seem boring, but it never is, as his pure athleticism on display is something to be marveled at, and heightens tension within the scene. Apparently, this running technique has a link to one of his co-stars from The Outsiders.

Cruise’s Outsiders co-star Rob Lowe recently sat down with Dana Carvey and David Spade on the Superfly podcast. The actor reminisced about his early days in Hollywood and his experience working with Tom Cruise on the classic Francis Ford Coppola film. Lowe explained that sometime after working together on the movie, they truly learned how to run properly, and it was their co-star Emilio Estevez's running coach who really showed them the ropes. Lowe said:

Clearly the technique stuck with Cruise even more than his co-stars, because it’s become one of his signatures. It makes sense that he was taught by an Olympian, because the run resembles that of a professional sprinter. However, there was seemingly a time at which Cruise and some of his co-stars were provided the same running foundation, as Lowe also said:

Even though the Cruise run has certainly evolved, you can still see this foundation in his gate. I would've never guessed that Emilo Estevez's running coach would've been the one to set the tone for that.

In the past, Rob Lowe has been candid about the Oscar-nominated actor being relentlessly competitive on set and always wanting to do his own stunts. That hasn’t changed at all over the years, as Tom Cruise still does many of his own stunts. The St. Elmo’s Fire star also said Cruise once knocked him down during a sparring match on set. Lowe would certainly know Cruise’s habits well, considering the two lived together in a hotel while filming The Outsiders.

This intensity clearly hasn’t subsided. Cruise has no problem doing the most, whether it’s via an all out sprint during a running sequence or pushing the envelope with death defying stunts for the latest Mission: Impossible film. The Outsiders was just the beginning for Cruise, who was just getting his feet wet with physicality-based roles. Kudos to Emilio Estevez's trainer for eventually laying the foundation for the action star we all know today.

You can see Tom Cruise sprinting away from danger once again in his latest film, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which opens in theaters on May 23 as part of the 2025 movie schedule. You can also stream previous installments using a Paramount+ subscription.

The world of action in the 2025 movie schedule is giving fans something to talk about, especially regarding actors who do their own stunts. As Thunderbolts*’ upcoming theatrical release is almost upon us, learning about subjects like Florence Pugh’s practical stunt jump are stoking the anticipation for the film pretty high. And of course, as the lady herself has admitted in a recent chat, Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible feats were part of what influenced her to take that specific spectacle on in the first place.

The Associate Press’ TikTok showed one of their journalists catching up with the burgeoning action star at the London premiere for her upcoming Marvel movie. And when she discussed what inspired her to take on that massive Thunderbolts* stunt, Ms. Pugh tipped her batons to the Mission: Impossible icon. She said:

Watching the Black Widow star mirror the respect Tom Cruise has for the stunt community back at him is something pretty special. And considering that feat that Florence Pugh has set to debut in director Jake Schreier’s new Marvel movie, that outlook is only reinforced by her actions.

But before you start to think your Disney+ subscription is about to be flooded with titles that see Pugh actually going to space, or flying an F-14 Tomcat, she addressed that subject rather brilliantly. Offering these further remarks, the woman behind Yelena Belova made that abundantly clear:

Who knows what the future could hold though? Maybe a Tom Cruise collaboration could see Florence Pugh pushing her limits even further, in a picture that’d allow them to be mentor and mentee in both plot and action prowess. Perhaps leaving the planet isn’t totally out of the question, as Cruise’s mysterious space picture still looks to be on the books. Or maybe our potential new action star could be the key to finally getting that Edge of Tomorrow sequel made?

As we all sit here and dream of the possibilities, let’s not forget that Thunderbolts*’ very real Florence Pugh stunt is about to be revealed to us all! That MCU picture will debut in theaters on May 2nd, and if that doesn’t lure audiences to check it out, I don’t know what will.

Tom Cruise’s dedication to stunts is certainly no surprise, and neither is his huge plane stunt set to debut in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. One of the most anticipated 2025 movie schedule gems that sits on the horizon, the potential franchise closer is ready to leave it all on the field one last time. That is why watching the new footage from Mr. Cruise’s insanely practical set piece has me both thrilled and anxious as an IMF agent chatting with The Entity.

Paramount Pictures released the perfect hype reel to celebrate what we know about Mission: Impossible 8, through a more in-depth look at a moment we’ve seen coming for some time.

The actual stats of Ethan Hunt’s next death-defying feat are intimidating, with a height of 8000 ft. and winds as fast as 140 mph pushing the Edge of Tomorrow actor to his limits (according to the movie's Instagram). So, since Tom Cruise chose to accept this particular mission, I think the least we can do is watch him take on this challenge together.

For as unflappable as Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s leading man can appear, there are these rare moments that show us the more human side of Tom Cruise's stunts. And if anyone thought that “Ethan hangs onto an airplane” was going to be old hat after that A400m Airbus stunt in Rogue Nation, I’m ready to heartily debate that point with anyone who has a Paramount+ subscription.

Those final moments, where you see a goggled Cruise hanging on for dear life, show us that the stakes are certainly higher than ever. But if that doesn’t convince you, then perhaps these further details - presumably spoken by Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning director Christopher McQuarrie - should seal the deal:

That last part is also no surprise, as Tom Cruise’s previous Final Reckoning comments mentioned not only the windspeed but also the lack of oxygen involved in this biplane-based spectacle. However, as anyone will tell you, it’s much more impressive to see a miracle at work than merely to hear it recalled. And now that we’ve seen a much closer look at this crazy moment, I feel a little out of breath myself.

While it’s true that 2028’s inaugural “Achievement in Stunt Design” Oscar will miss Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s eligibility by three cycles, I’d argue that the Academy should award some sort of special achievement trophy at the 2027 Oscars to honor this moment. Should this truly be Tom Cruise’s last mission in the field, I hope it salutes his commitment to jaw-dropping, boundary-pushing scenes like this.

The countdown to May 23rd continues, as that’s the date The Final Reckoning will be at hand. That is, unless Paramount decides to randomly postpone this oft-delayed Mission one last time in order to compete for the first Stunt Oscar. Jokes aside, though, this mission, which Tom Cruise fearlessly accepted, will be on the big screen this summer, and you won't want to miss it.

Tom Cruise is known as the man who can do it all on movie sets. It’s well understood that stuntmen can take a month off when working on Cruise-led movies because the actor will be doing his own stunts. That's not all though, as it turns out the leading man also does his own magic. However, it sounds like performing death-defying stunts is significantly easier for Cruise.

Ahead of the release of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, a clip went viral on the official M:I Instagram page. Said post involved interview that included both Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie on the Light the Fuse podcast. In it, they discuss the Dead Reckoning scene where Cruise's Ethan Hunt meets Hayley Atwell’s character, Grace, for the first time and performs a bit of close-up magic with a key. McQuarrie reveals the scene took quite a few takes because Cruise couldn’t quite get the trick right. He said…

Tom Cruise insists that he does all his own stunts on set. While digital effects may be used to some degree, the stunt itself is always real. This was the case with the magic trick as well, as both actor and director really wanted to capture the trick practically, without the use of camera tricks.

Of course, magic tricks take a lot of practice to pull off and, unless Cruise was performing at children’s birthday parties before he became a movie star, he probably doesn’t have a great deal of experience with such things. Still, Cruise says that as frustrated as he became, he pushed through and eventually made the shot work. However, based on Cruise's comments, his director didn't sound all that enthusiastic when he finally nailed it. Cruise said...

It sounds like the magic trick took more takes than the shot of Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff. While one of those shots certainly took a lot of preparation to make sure it worked, the actual filming of it sounds like it was decidedly easier than shooting a magic trick that actually worked.

I'm not sure whether or not fans will seen Ethan Hunt perform any further kind of magic tricks in the latest Mission: Impossible film. However, based on the teases that have been shared about the upcoming 2025 movie release, there are plenty of wild sequences in store for audiences. For instance, there's one scene in which Hunt hangs off a biplane. Cruise talked about filming that sequence, even admitting that he would "pass out physically" at times.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is set to hit theaters on May 23. Though we'll surely see more Tom Cruise stunts compared to any magic tricks, just know that many of the action sequences are the result of movie magic. In the meantime, you can stream the first seven films in the film series using a Paramount+ subscription.

One of our most anticipated events on the 2025 movie schedule has to be the release of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, as it will be an action-packed and stunt-heavy possible conclusion to the franchise after Cruise has been blowing our minds for nearly 30 years. However, this week’s news that The Academy has added a stunt category at the Oscars has fans livid for the actor (and Mission: Impossible’s achievements), given the timing of the whole thing.

As announced on Thursday by The Academy’s Board of Governors, a new award for “Achievement In Stunt Design” will officially debut at the 100th Oscars ceremony taking place in the year 2028 for 2027 releases. Knowing that The Final Reckoning is coming two years before that has fans all worked up, as this person posted on Twitter:

When I think of stunts, it’s pretty much impossible (pun intended) not to think about Tom Cruise’s work across the last three decades. His work, and specifically the action in Mission: Impossible, has pushed the limits of what we think is possible in film.

From Cruise’s Fallout halo jump to his climb up the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol to that motorbike cliff jump in Dead Reckoning or plane hang in Rogue Nation, the actor and his team have pulled off mind-boggling stunts over and over again.

Fans are understandably hurting on behalf of Cruise regarding the timing of the whole thing. Here’s another one:

Even though Tom Cruise is one of the biggest Hollywood stars and most beloved actors, he’s somehow never won an Oscar, despite being nominated four times. Most recently, his work on Top Gun: Maverick was in contention for Best Picture (along with five other nominations, one of which the movie won for Best Sound), but he chose not to attend the ceremony.

If this category was introduced a few years ago, the actor most certainly would have been in contention and even won for Mission: Impossible, but it seems like he’s just missed the boat. And we're all bummed about it, as this fan wrote:

It feels valid that fans of Tom Cruise and his movies are livid, especially since calls for the category have been in conversation for so long. As another Twitter user wrote:

While one fan even commented that it’s not “too late to delay” the upcoming Mission: Impossible to 2027 just to see the movie win an Oscar, a third Top Gun movie is still in development. That could potentially place Tom Cruise in the Oscars game for this award in the future. Plus, I'm sure that even if The Final Reckoning is the last time we see Ethan Hunt, the actor will not leave action behind.

Even so, as another Twitter user said, it’s just too bad The Academy is “robbing” Cruise of one for this year.

We’ll be waiting three years for the stunt category at the Oscars to debut, but movies starting in 2027 will get to recognize stunt teams and performers, and that in itself is a huge win.

Stunt teams risk their lives to make the scenes we watch on screen as immersive, entertaining and shocking as they are, and we can’t wait to see them finally get the recognition they deserve at the 100th Oscars!

After very unexpected and prolonged delays, movie fans are actually nearing the opening of what is sure to be a mega-blockbuster on the 2025 movie schedule, and that is the upcoming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. With Ethan Hunt and his team hoping to finally complete their mission after 2023’s Dead Reckoning ending, M:I 8 may very well be the last we see of the team, at least as it’s been for decades now. Before everything (probably) wraps up, Simon Pegg wants to be absolutely clear about one thing when it comes to star Tom Cruise.

What Did Simon Pegg Say About Tom Cruise And His Work In The Mission: Impossible Movies?

Even if you’ve never seen any of the Mission: Impossible movies, you are likely to know at least two things about them: Tom Cruise is the star, and he goes balls to the wall when it comes to making sure that one of the premiere action film franchises in the world is filled to the brim with death-defying stunts. Simon Pegg, who’s portrayed tech expert Benji Dunn since M:I 3 (which came out a whopping 19 years ago) has been around for most of them.

The Boys actor recently spoke to Collider about the new movie, and when asked if Benji was going to get in on the action more this time around, he decided to respond by letting everyone know exactly what Cruise does for his franchise:

Well, there you go. If anyone was wondering whether or not all of the intensely fast running, motorcycle off a cliff-jumping, wild broken-foot mountain climbing, and all the other great M:I action sequences were truly just Cruise doing amazing things in real life, Pegg can confirm that it totally is. Hell, the superstar has even admitted to passing out while hanging out of a plane at 10,000 feet. Pegg continued:

Like director Christopher McQuarrie’s noted previously, while most action movie directors have to concern themselves with concealing the fact that the stars are not the ones doing things like jumping between a speeding train and a helicopter (which Cruise did for the original M:I movie), he has to make sure that every camera picks up the fact that his star is actually doing everything we see Ethan do. And, no one can claim that this truth has done anything other than made the Mission: Impossible movies even more amazing to watch.

For as long as I can remember, a plethora of internet users have loved a trailer reaction. It’s pretty funny when you think about it too, because you're literally just watching someone view something for the first time, but there’s something satisfying about feeling like you’re with them as they do so. Following the latest release of the latest Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning trailer, which is sure to induce further hype for the upcoming 2025 movie schedule entry, Simon Pegg hilariously got in on the trailer reaction trend.

There’s a twist to this, however. Instead of Pegg, who plays Benji Dunn in the M:I films, just simply reacting to the new trailer, he decided to react to one of the popular trailer reactions. Check out his Instagram post:

OK, this is too funny. Simon Pegg decided to film himself reacting to a trailer reaction on the YouTube channel, Heroes Reforged, just a couple days after Paramount Pictures dropped the latest trailer. He aptly called it his “REACTION TO REACTION TO MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE REACTION VIDEO!!!” This totally plays into the Brit’s humor, and he looks rather dumbfounded and rather entertained by the YouTubers the whole time.

Can we get more of this kind of content, please? It’s a bit meta and reminds me of Inception (but with reaction videos), and it’s kind of a blast to see one of the actors in a movie interacting with movie fans by reacting to their reaction. The Boys’ Jack Quaid even chimed in via the comment section to say: “Well this is great” and the YouTube channel called the video reaction “an honor.”

The new Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning trailer, it came out on Monday after debuting at Paramount’s CinemaCon panel the week prior. Give it a look:

While Simon Pegg doesn’t have a large presence in the trailer, we do know he’ll very much be back as Benji for the sixth time. The actor has been with the Tom Cruise-led franchise since 2006's M:I III. Also among the returning cast is Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Angela Bassett and Shea Wingham. As the trailer indicates, the movie seems to be a culmination of all of Cruise’s missions thus far.

As we’ve come to expect from these movies, it will be full of mind-blowing action scenes and stunts, including one where Cruise has said he was “breathing in his own carbon dioxide.” The movie was shot from 2022 to this past fall (with the 2023 strikes stalling production in the middle). It was filmed across London, Malta, South Africa and Norway.

We just learned that the movie is set to have a huge glitzy premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14 before the Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning releases in theaters on May 23. In the meantime, here's to more hilarious social media moments like this from Simon Pegg as he starts really promoting the latest film of his! Also, prepare for the next M:I movie by streaming the entire series thus far with a Paramount+ subscription.