Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two director Christopher McQuarrie confirms that the sequel won't serve as the end of the franchise and teases what's to come. After first playing the character back in 1996, Cruise is set to return as superspy Ethan Hunt for at least two more films, starting with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One next month. The two-part franchise entry, both parts of which are directed by McQuarrie, was widely reported to serve as a sendoff for Cruise's character and the long-running franchise.
As the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two release date inches closer, McQuarrie reveals to Fandango, as shared in a new tweet, that the eighth film will not serve as the ending to the franchise. Check out the tweet below:
In addition to confirming that the two films won't be the conclusion that many were expected, the director even teases that there are already ideas being floated for the next installment.
Will Mission: Impossible 8 Be The End For Tom Cruise's Ethan?
What McQuarrie doesn't confirm, interestingly, is whether Cruise's lead character will return for any films beyond Mission: Impossible 8. It's hard to imagine a Mission: Impossible movie without Cruise, but the two films do appear to be shaping up to be a possible finale for the character, with elements of Hunt's past coming back to haunt him. Earlier reports that the two-part adventure would serve as a "sendoff," then, could potentially be half-true.
It might actually be the for the best, in fact, if Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two is Cruise's last movie as the star. The actor is nearly 61 years old and, considering Mission: Impossible 8 filming hasn't even been completed yet, any subsequent installments would see the actor playing the character into his mid-60s or beyond. Cruise after all, is still seemingly slated to start filming his SpaceX collaboration film with director Doug Liman as his next project, further delaying any potential filming on a ninth movie.
Even if Hunt no longer appears in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Cruise could still remain onboard as an executive producer, ensuring that the films retain the jaw-dropping action that the franchise is known for, just with a new central star. Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa, for example, could take Ethan's place. For now, of course, this is all hypothetical, and it's certainly possible that Cruise's character will remain the focus of additional installments after Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.
Source: Fandango/ Twitter
