In fact, “Mission: Impossible 7 – Dead Reckoning Part 1” and “Dead Reckoning Part 2”, due for release in 2024, should be the grand finale of the popular agent series and send Tom Cruise to his well-deserved retirement as Ethan. Hunt. And that’s no wonder, because even a superstar like Tom Cruise isn’t getting any younger – the actor is now 60 (!) years old and therefore a real action pensionary. While the star still appears to be in great shape at the moment, it will likely become more and more difficult for him to master all the stunts on his own as he gets older.
A statement from director Christopher McQuarrie, who has directed three films in the series to date and will also direct Dead Reckoning Part 2, gives fans hope. Across from the ticket, movie and television network announced the filmmaker that the two-part “Dead Reckoning Part 1 & 2” could not be the end of the series and that he already had ideas on how to expand the series in the future.
Spin-off, series or a sequel in the cinema?
However, the director did not want to reveal more details about the future plans of the series. Therefore, everything is currently possible – also from reports that after “Mission: Impossible 8,” Tom Cruise’s agent career could actually be over.
Where it goes after the cinema two-parter seems to be wide open at the moment. For example, it is possible to continue the franchise with a new main character. A young cop could follow in Ethan Hunt’s outsized footsteps. The sequel to the series could also be a spin-off, centering on a well-known character. That would minimize the risks of an eventual recast, since the audience would already know the new main character.
Even a continuation in series form is no longer excluded, since series such as “Citadel” or “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”, which have now been produced at a high level and whose budgets exceed several hundred million dollars can certainly compete with large-scale Hollywood productions. But it’s also possible that veteran action star Tom Cruise doesn’t want to give up his role just yet and will give it his all again as Ethan Hunt.
Of course, this is all just speculation at this point. What is certain, however, is that we can already look forward to real agent action on July 13, 2023 in “Mission: Impossible 7 – Dead Reckoning Part One”. The first reactions to the latest part of the franchise certainly give hope for good entertainment: