Summary

• Glen Powell is the perfect choice to replace Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible, with star qualities the franchise needs.
• Powell's strong relationship with Cruise, mentorship, and box office credibility make him ideal for the role.
• While Powell's involvement in Top Gun may impact his role in Mission: Impossible, he remains a top option for the lead.

Cruise exiting after Mission: Impossible 8. That is not confirmed by any stretch, but the mere idea of it, which has been speculated about since early 2022, keeps up conversations about who could replace him.

Anyone who dares to replace Tom Cruise as the lead of the options for Tom Cruise's replacement have shifted to Hayley Atwell or bringing back Jeremy Renner. While I'd be excited by either outcome, I fully believe that Glen Powell checks all the boxes of what Mission: Impossible needs after Tom Cruise.

Glen Powell Is Exactly Who Mission: Impossible Needs To Replace Tom Cruise

He's Got Star Qualities The Franchise Needs

Tom Cruise will leave big shoes to fill for whoever replaces him as the next lead in Mission: Impossible, but there is no doubt in my mind that Glen Powell is the right man for the job. Over the course of the last several years, he's become one of Hollywood's rising stars. Anyone who watched Everybody Wants Some!! could see his star potential, but it took pairing up with Cruise for Top Gun: Maverick to really put the whole world on notice: Glen Powell has the makings of a modern-day movie star.

Powell has everything Paramount should be looking for when it comes to replacing Cruise for Mission: Impossible's future. He's an incredibly charismatic screen presence who can do everything from action to comedy to romance. At 35 years old, Powell is also at the right age, so he could step in and potentially headline a new Mission: Impossible trilogy. It also helps that he's built up his box office credibility through Anyone But You, and Twisters' box office projects to give him another hit.

His action movie experience is ittedly a bit more limited, but he has done them, and it's crucial to Cruise was far from the major action star he is now when he first signed up to be Ethan Hunt. If Paramount is looking for a rising star with plenty of charisma and box office credibility to lead Mission: Impossible into a new era after Cruise, Powell is the guy. It doesn't hurt that Powell's relationship with Cruise could help make the ing of the mantle seamless. An endorsement from Cruise for the next franchise lead would surely go a long way for me and other fans.

Tom Cruise Has Secretly Been Training Glen Powell To Lead Mission: Impossible For 6 Years

Top Gun: Maverick Began A Great Partnership

The idea of Glen Powell taking over Mission: Impossible is even more believable when considering his last six years. Since getting cast in Top Gun: Maverick as Hangman, Powell has formed a strong relationship with Cruise. He has repeatedly shared how much advice Cruise has given him about navigating Hollywood and his career. It is much of this advice that Powell has implemented into projects like Anyone But You or Twisters. Cruise's mentorship to make Powell a star even included tips for how to hold a popcorn bucket to promote Twisters for a picture.

One of the most striking parts of Glen Powell's rise to me is how much he's adopted from Tom Cruise's playbook on Hollywood. Whether it is prioritizing a theatrical release for Anyone But You or the desire to create big, entertaining blockbusters like Twisters, Powell is closely following Cruise's movie ideology. That is why Powell has consistently said he's disinterested in superhero movies, favoring working on other projects with acclaimed directors, relaunching known IP, and creating new, original franchises. All this makes Powell an ideal fit for Mission: Impossible, as he'd share the same ideas about the series as Cruise.

Top Gun Could Get In The Way Of Glen Powell Taking Over Mission: Impossible

Powell Already Has An Existing Connection

For as much as I'd like to see Glen Powell take over Mission: Impossible, there is a good chance that Top Gun could prevent this from happening. Powell is already part of that franchise and set to return in Top Gun 3. There are even some suggestions that he could be Cruise's replacement in Top Gun instead of Mission: Impossible as a result. With his involvement in one Cruise franchise already set, it is possible that Powell would avoid jumping aboard another, especially if it meant directly replacing his mentor.

If Top Gun replaces Mission: Impossible as Cruise's main franchise with the release of Top Gun 3, then perhaps the chances of Powell taking over the action spy series become greater. With Mission: Impossible 8 still a ways off, there is plenty of time for Paramount to figure out the franchise's future. But if it does seriously consider finding someone else to lead future Mission: Impossible movies and replace Tom Cruise, I can think of no better option than Glen Powell right now.