The first trailer for Mission: Impossible 8 released on November 11, along with the movie’s official title, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. It certainly seems that Tom Cruise, who has been the face of the Mission: Impossible franchise since 1996, is preparing us that this is going to be his last mission. Should that prove true, I think it’s the right call.
Let’s just look at the signs as to why this could be the final Mission: Impossible movie for Cruise. First, this is the second half of the story that they began with Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, a first for the franchise to have a mission spread over two movies, suggesting that the creatives are trying to put more weight and importance on this storyline than previous entries. Then there are lines in the trailer like “everything you’ve done has come to this,” Ving Rhames’ Luther saying he “has no regrets” and Cruise’s Ethan Hunt asking someone to trust him “one last time.” Oh, and the title literally has the word “Final” in it.
Outside of the world of the movie, there have been rumblings (but no official word) that this is the last Mission: Impossible movie for Cruise, who will be just shy of his 63rd birthday when Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning comes out on May 23, 2025. While he obviously remains in great shape and definitely seems to love doing the death-defying stunts that have become his trademark, at some point the toll comes due and it will show on screen.
Exhibit A, the Indiana Jones franchise. To Harrison Ford’s credit, he showed that he still had some juice in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but we also can’t deny that his age did limit him a bit and put some constraints on the story, including a bit of audiences’ ability to suspend disbelief. That might be twofold if we watched a 70-year-old Cruise trying to hang off a spinning helicopter.
And that’s not to say that Cruise can’t continue to star in big-time action movies. In fact, he has a bunch already in the pipeline. That includes rumors of Top Gun 3 and the long-awaited Edge of Tomorrow sequel. Even if those don’t happen, he has a planned movie that reunites him with Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman and Mission: Impossible partner Christopher McQuarrie that will see him literally shoot the movie in space.
But letting go of his biggest franchise, one that has dominated much of his career since 2011, will also allow him to go back to doing some non-action movies, or at least less blockbuster-y fare. He’s already line a couple projects like that up, including a contained action thriller titled The Gauntlet (still working with McQuarrie) and a role in the next Alejandro G. Iñárritu movie. Could that be the beginning of Cruise returning to some more straight dramatic work like A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia and others? I can easily imagine a Cruise Oscar campaign in the near future if he goes that route.
Cruise exiting Mission: Impossible isn’t a certain death knell for the franchise either. The franchise could finally do what it was setting up with Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Initially that movie was meant to be Cruise’s exit from the franchise with Jeremy Renner poised to take it over. But then it became a hit with Cruise and McQuarrie rejuvenating the franchise, building it to what it is today; Renner stuck around in a supporting role for Rogue Nation, but then exited the franchise.
But now they can commit to a hard or soft reboot; the former being a completely new Mission: Impossible world filled with entirely new characters, while a soft reboot would likely try to keep some familiar faces around (Simon Pegg’s Benji?) but with a new lead. And even if Cruise no longer appears as Ethan Hunt, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t continue on his role as producer, helping to guide the future of the franchise.
All things must come to an end, but Cruise has the chance to end it on his terms with Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. I hope the indicators prove true and he takes that opportunity, then sticks with it. The franchise has been great for Hollywood and Cruise’s career, but it’s time to see what he’ll do as he enters a new chapter.
In the meantime, I’m still excited to see what Cruise has in store for us with Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. Get a preview with the trailer right here:
