Tom Cruise has remained tight-lipped on whether his next film, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning will be the final instalment in the successful espionage franchise.
The Final Reckoning will be the eighth Mission Impossible film, a series which started in 1996 and has helped establish Cruise as one of the leading action stars in Hollywood.
The forthcoming instalment was originally billed as “Part Two” to 2023’s Mission: Impossible –Dead Reckoning. Unveiling the film’s new title, along with a teaser trailer on social media last year, Cruise wrote: “Every choice has led to this.”
Despite the finality hinted at in both the title and the trailer, Cruise is yet to confirm whether this film will actually be his last outing as super spy Ethan Hunt.
Cruise was quizzed on the future of the franchise in an interview with Empire, but reportedly laughed and said: “You gotta see the movie.”
The 62-year-old added: “It’s a hard thing for me to discuss at the moment because it really is something that you have to experience.” He also described the movie as “an epic, emotional journey of the entire franchise”.
Director Christopher McQuarrie, who has made the last three Mission: Impossible films, was a little more open as to what fans can expect. “It is, I hope, the satisfying conclusion to a 30-year story arc,” he said. “I’m pretty confident that people are going to feel that the title was appropriate.”
The sequel is scheduled for release on 23 May and, with an estimated budget of $400m (£320m), will be one of the most expensive films ever made.
Speaking to the Guardian, Cruises’s co-star, Hayley Atwell was asked to confirm if the movie will be the last in the franchise. She commented: “I mean, look, they called it The Final Reckoning.
“On the other hand, ‘Tom Cruise’ and ‘final’ are oxymorons, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes, ‘Wait, maybe…’ Although he has so many things that he is working on, so I can’t see how another Mission would fit into that.”
Cruise has previously said that he hopes to continue making Mission: Impossible films for decades. In 2023, he compared the franchise to Indiana Jones, which began in 1981, telling The Sydney Morning Herald: “Harrison Ford is a legend. I hope to still be going. I’ve got 20 years to catch up with him.”
