Summary

  • Jeremy Renner left the Mission: Impossible franchise so he could spend more time at home with his young daughter.
  • Renner played William Brandt, who hasn't been seen in the franchise since 2015's Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
  • Renner is open to reprising his role in a future film.

Jeremy Renner addresses his William Brandt in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in 2011, and he briefly reprised his role for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in 2015, but the character hasn't been seen in the franchise since.

In a recent interview with Collider, Renner explains that he left the Mission: Impossible franchise due to his young daughter and his desire to not be away from home so much. The actor doesn't rule out an eventual return, however. Check out his full comment below:

"Yeah. I had to leave that. I was supposed to do more with them. I love those guys. I love Tom [Cruise] so much. We had so much fun, and I love that character a lot. It requires a lot of time away. It’s all in London. I had to go be a dad. It just wasn't gonna work out then. Maybe now that my daughter is older that could happen. I'd always jump into a Mission: Impossible anytime and back into Brandt. It’s great."

How Jeremy Renner Could Return As Brandt In Mission: Impossible

What Happened To Brandt After Rogue Nation?

William Brandt plans the mission to go extract Ethan in Mission Impossible

While Renner was once thought to be positioned as Cruise's successor in the franchise, whatever plans may or may not have been in place were essentially put aside with the release of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. This film features Brandt in a much smaller role, and not one that's heavy on action. Brandt starts working for the CIA after the disbanding of the IMF, though he remains loyal to Hunt and Alec Baldwin's Alan Hunley.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout doesn't explain what happened to Brandt and, as of the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning ending, it's unclear what he's up to in the world of the films. It seems likely he's still working in the intelligence community, however, and this would make his return fairly straightforward. If Brandt was working for the CIA or the Department of Homeland Security, for example, Hunt could pull him back into the loop on whatever his next mission is. Even if Brandt has retired from intelligence work, he's still someone that Hunt trusts.

Alternatively, once the Entity storyline is presumably resolved in the Mission: Impossible 8, a future film could also bring Brandt back as a potential antagonist. While it's hard to see Brandt serving as the main villain of a film, he could certainly return and be positioned in opposition to Hunt in the same way that Isla Faust has been in the past. It remains to be seen whether Brandt will return in a future Mission: Impossible movie, but Renner is evidently open to a comeback.

Source: Collider