With delay after delay, it almost seemed like getting "Mission:
Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" into theaters was the real impossible
mission. But it's almost here, and it's sure to wow franchise fans with some big swings.
"Dead Reckoning Part One" was supposed to release on July 23,
2021. Then it was moved to November 19, 2021. It was then delayed again to May 27,
2022, and then to September 30, 2022. After briefly being set for July 14,
2023, it was finally moved forward to July 12, 2023, which is hopefully where it will stay.
All the release date shuffling has to do with the coronavirus pandemic,
which majorly affected filming for the "Dead Reckoning" movies. Variety reported that
production was shut down in February 2020. In December 2020, after production resumed,
Tom Cruise famously lost his cool when some people on the set weren't following COVID protocols.
Deadline notes that the film's release date was also affected by "Top Gun:
Maverick," with Paramount Pictures bumping "Dead Reckoning Part One" to make way for
Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and his fighter jets. It seems like the July 2023 release
date for the first part will stick, with "Part Two" set to follow on June 28, 2024.
The makers of "Dead Reckoning Part One" have done a pretty great job of
keeping the story under lock and key. That said, it does seem like the stakes will be
huge — possibly existentially huge. Henry Czerny's Eugene Kittridge tells Ethan Hunt,
"Your days of fighting for the so-called greater good are over."
Variety has reported the first film will end with a pretty massive cliffhanger,
and writer-director Christopher McQuarrie told the "Light the Fuse" podcast that "Dead
Reckoning" refers more to the events of the second film than the first.
So it seems that the first installment will be setting up some major stakes for the second.
It also seems like things will get pretty emotional for the characters, such as Rebecca
Ferguson's Ilsa Faust and Simon Pegg's Benji Dunn. McQuarrie explained to The Hollywood Reporter,
"When we went into making 'Fallout,' I said to Tom [Cruise], 'I really want to make this
more of an emotional journey for [Cruise's character Ethan Hunt]. Going into this,
I said, 'I want to take what we learned from 'Fallout' and apply
it to every character in the movie. I want everyone to have an emotional arc."
When it comes to casting talented actors, the "Mission: Impossible" movies spare no expense.
After all, they're helmed by the biggest movie star alive: Tom Cruise. "Dead Reckoning Part
One" will see the return of Simon Pegg as tech wizard Benji Dunn, Rebecca Ferguson as the deadly
Ilsa Faust, and Ving Rhames as hacker Luther Stickell, the only character who's appeared
in every "Mission: Impossible" film aside from Ethan. Vanessa Kirby, who previously appeared in
"Fallout," is also coming back as the notorious White Widow. Henry Czerny will also return as
Eugene Kittridge, who was in a rather explosive scene in the original "Mission: Impossible" film.
"I can understand you're very upset."
"Kittridge, you've never seen me very upset."
As for newcomers, "Dead Reckoning Part One" will star Hayley Atwell of "Agent Carter" fame,
Pom Klementieff from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise, and Cary Elwes
from "The Princess Bride." You can also expect to see legendary character actor Shea Whigham,
Mark Gatiss of "Sherlock," Indira Varma of "Game of Thrones," and beloved comedian
Rob Delaney. Esai Morales — who you may recognize as Camino del Rio from
"Ozark" or Lt. Tony Rodriguez from "NYPD Blue" — will star as the film's big bad.
The "Mission: Impossible" movies have boasted some true auteurs,
such as Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams, and Brad Bird. Indeed,
until "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation," each installment had been
helmed by a different filmmaker. Starting with that fifth film, directing duties
have gone to Christopher McQuarrie, who has directed every installment since.
McQuarrie and Tom Cruise evidently have a great rapport. In addition to directing
the star on four "Mission: Impossible" movies, McQuarrie also oversaw the actor
on "Jack Reacher" and helped write "Edge of Tomorrow," "Valkyrie," and "Top Gun:
Maverick." Before becoming one of Cruise's key collaborators, McQuarrie was probably best known
for writing "The Usual Suspects." And with the man sitting in the director's seat again,
we have ridiculously high hopes for both "Dead Reckoning" movies. We're
sure that McQuarrie and Cruise will be able to scale those high hopes with ease.
Yes, we love the chemistry between Ethan Hunt and his IMF buddies. And yes, the fight scenes are
always amazing. We also love all the espionage and intrigue and realistic face masks. But come on,
the main reason we're all so crazy about the "Mission: Impossible" franchise is because of
the absolutely wild stunts Tom Cruise pulls off. The franchise has continually upped the intensity
and the danger of these stunts, with the star putting himself in harm's way for fans' enjoyment.
We know "Part One" will feature an epic train crash, and thanks to photos taken
at the production site, it's clear Cruise will be on top of the old-timey locomotive at some
point during the scene. Cruise will also jump off the side of a cliff while riding a motorcycle.
Speaking with Empire Online, Cruise explained this was an incredibly dangerous stunt, saying,
"If the wind was too strong, it would blow me off the ramp. ... Or if I departed in a weird way,
we didn't know what was going to happen with the bike. I had about six seconds
once I departed the ramp to pull the chute, and I don't want to get tangled in the bike."
It reportedly took Cruise months to prep for the scene.
"We've been working on this for years."
The two-part "Dead Reckoning" had a rough start due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
which stalled production for a few months after it began in Italy in February 2020. Cruise and
his team managed to reunite in the UK after being granted "special permission" to continue filming,
but production wouldn't officially begin again until September. According to director
Christopher McQuarrie's Instagram, they soon shot the train fight sequence in
Norway before going back to Rome. "Part One" then journeyed to London, Yorkshire,
Birmingham, and eventually the Middle East. Filming wrapped in September 2021.
By March 2022, "Part Two" had begun filming and soon returned to Longcross
Studios in England. Filming in the UK would conclude by the end of the year,
and soon Cruise and the gang returned to Norway. Production reportedly took place
in South Africa and Malta as well. According to Variety, the crew of "Dead Reckoning Part Two"
returned to the coasts of Italy to film aboard the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier,
for scenes which promise to be an exciting addition to the "Mission:
Impossible" story. The production continued well into 2023. In March, The Guardian reported that
the production was denied helicopter landings in Svalbard, Norway, due to the local wildlife.
Ever since J.J. Abrams directed "Mission: Impossible III," his production company Bad
Robot Productions has been heavily involved in the series. Though Abrams himself declined
to direct any of the sequels, he has remained involved as a producer. From "Ghost Protocol"
to 2018's "Fallout," Abrams and Bad Robot served Ethan Hunt and the IMF team faithfully,
but the company isn't involved in "Dead Reckoning Part One." Though Abrams hasn't commented on
"Dead Reckoning" specifically, there's an interesting behind-the-scenes reason why.
In 2006, Bad Robot signed an exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures for
features. Working alongside Paramount to produce exciting flicks, the "Mission:
Impossible" series clearly fell within Bad Robot's purview. But in November 2018,
only months after the release of "Mission: Impossible – Fallout," Deadline reported
that Bad Robot planned to break from Paramount and pursue other projects and partnerships. It
wouldn't be long before Abrams and his company signed a five-year deal with WarnerMedia that
covered everything from movies and television to video games and other digital media,
keeping Abrams from any involvement in future "Mission: Impossible" sequels.
The "Mission: Impossible" franchise was revived back in 1996 with the first feature film,
directed by Brian De Palma. It was actually a continuation of the 1966 television series,
with a key plot point being Jim Phelps — the main character of the TV series,
now played by Jon Voight instead of Peter Graves — turning on his former agency.
"Good morning, Mr. Phelps."
The movie franchise really took off after the third film, which humanized
Ethan in a way previous installments failed to, and gave him something,
or rather someone, worth fighting for. The franchise then took a distinct turn upon
writer-director Christopher McQuarrie's involvement, which began partway through
the fourth film, "Ghost Protocol," and solidified with "Rogue Nation."
From what we can tell, the two-part "Dead Reckoning" is the conclusion to the story
that McQuarrie has slowly been developing since he joined the franchise in 2011. While
the first three films were largely standalone stories, McQuarrie's chapters have consistently
built upon one another. Events from "Ghost Protocol" impacted "Rogue Nation," and "Fallout"
directly followed the previous film. With "Dead Reckoning," the plot is currently under wraps,
but it wouldn't be surprising if the Syndicate or the Apostles returned in some form,
just like the other characters that McQuarrie has introduced to the "Mission: Impossible" world.
Hayley Atwell is no stranger to the world of espionage. Atwell previously headlined the
"Agent Carter" series for Marvel, which followed her titular character during the Cold War. She
even hosts her own podcast alongside her "Dead Reckoning" co-star Vanessa Kirby and fellow MCU
actor Sophia Di Martino called "True Spies," which covers the world of real-life spy stuff.
So Atwell clearly understands the type of role that she's playing in "Dead Reckoning Part One."
Christopher McQuarrie described her character, Grace, as a "destructive force of nature" when
speaking to the "Light the Fuse" podcast in 2020. While that's not much to go on,
it's clear that Grace is meant to be unlike any
other character previously introduced to the world of the IMF. McQuarrie added,
"The work that [Atwell's] done, the dedication [she's] shown, the focus,
and quite frankly, [her] frightening talent with a knife, are all stuff that I'm very,
very, very excited for people to see. It's a very different side of Hayley."
After two films featuring Sean Harris as former MI6 operative Solomon Lane as Ethan Hunt's
nemesis, the IMF team is set to take on a new enemy this time around. It's unclear if Lane will
continue to be a part of the "Mission: Impossible" story going forward, though it seems likely,
but a new character, played by Esai Morales, is the driving force behind the dangers that Ethan
must face in the two-parter. The character, about whom little is known right now, was originally
meant to be played by Nicholas Hoult before the actor had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.
How, or if, Morales' character relates to the Syndicate and the Apostles remains to be seen,
but it's possible that he has no allegiances whatsoever. It's possible that the IMF team
won't learn anything about their mysterious adversary in "Dead Reckoning Part One," but
here's hoping that we find out just who this mystery man is before "Part Two.".
"Mission: Impossible III" was a game-changer for the franchise.
Not only did the film introduce Simon Pegg's Benji Dunn, but it also gave Ethan Hunt an
emotional motivation for his world-saving excursions. But Michelle Monaghan's Julia
Meade didn't stick around long after the third film, effectively disappearing from
the franchise save for a quick cameo at the end of 2011's "Ghost Protocol." It's implied
that she and Ethan remained happy and together off-screen, at least until 2018's "Fallout."
"This is my husband, Erik. This is…"
"Rob. Rob Thorne. I worked with Julia--"
"At Mass General."
Upon Julia's return in "Fallout," it becomes clear that she has remarried and Ethan has
kept tabs on her from afar. Though he still loves her, he's been forced to move on due to
his world-saving work with the IMF, which leads to his newly budding romance with Ilsa Faust.
Nevertheless, Julia proves vital to the climax of "Fallout," helping Luther defuse a bomb and foil
Lane's plans. Afterward, Ethan and Julia part ways once again, now with closure. The end of
"Fallout" makes it unlikely for Julia to return, since both she and Ethan have officially moved
on. The series seems to have refocused its love story on Ethan and Ilsa moving forward.
Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie has been slowly reintroducing elements from past
"Mission: Impossible" installments into his overarching narrative for years. For example,
Vanessa Kirby's White Widow is the daughter of Max from the 1996 film. It's clear that "Mission:
Impossible" is attempting to build a cohesive story that connects to everything that's come
before. One key returning element is former IMF director Eugene Kittridge, played by Henry Czerny,
who hasn't appeared since the first film. So what has he been up to over the past 27 years?
Kittridge was eventually succeeded by Alec Baldwin's CIA Director Alan Hunley, but it's never
explained on screen what happened to Kittridge in the meantime. Czerny revealed that he came up
with his own backstory for Kittridge following the events of the first movie, telling /Film,
"I decided that he'd been to all the agencies on some level or other, had a good idea now of
how the game is played and what his place is in this mechanism of national intelligence.
Ethan schooling Kittridge on who the mole really was and catching the mole was the springboard to
25 years of Kittridge going through different agencies so he wouldn't be schooled again."
Cruise has played Ethan Hunt for nearly 30 years, but he still seems to love it. He
continually pushes the limits of what stunts he can pull off in each new installment. Not
only does he star, but Cruise also serves as a producer on every single "Mission:
Impossible" film. Initial reports announcing "Dead Reckoning" reported that the two-parter
is meant to be a final send-off for Cruise's most prolific character, but the actor
himself has refused to comment on whether "Dead Reckoning Part Two" will be his final mission.
Outside of an official confirmation from Cruise himself, everything is pure speculation. While a
two-part "Mission: Impossible" epic certainly seems like a set-up to retire the Ethan Hunt
character, Cruise could very well return. Whatever the case, the partnership between Cruise and
McQuarrie remains strong. The two have worked together on more than 10 different features,
making it fairly likely that they'll reunite in some capacity in the future.