Mission: Impossible 8finally has its title revealed, and it teases the end for Ethan Hunt, which is reportedly against Tom Cruise’s wishes. Despite earning glowing reviews,Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoningunderperformed in theaters last year. The eighth installment was subsequently delayed and said to be scrapping the originally-plannedDead Reckoning – Part Twosubtitle. A recentTHRreportclaimed that Paramount wants theupcomingMission: Impossible 8to serve as the final entry, which would help with marketing, but Cruise was said to not be totally onboard with the idea.
Paramount Pictureshas now released the trailer for the upcomingMission: Impossiblemovie, revealing thatthe eighth film is calledMission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning. While retaining “Reckoning” from the previous film’s title, the addition of “Final” certainly hints that this will be Ethan’s last mission, suggesting that Cruise agreed to make the film the franchise’s grand conclusion. Check out the trailer below:
What The Final Reckoning Means For The Mission: Impossible Franchise
Why This Could Be Ethan Hunt’s Last Mission
There have long been reports thatMission: Impossible 8was being eyed as a potential franchise conclusion. Cruise first played Hunt almost 30 years ago, after all, with the release of Brian De Palma’s first film in 1996.Cruise, however, has been vocal about not wanting to retire his superspy character, revealing last year that he hopes to take afterIndiana Jonesstar Harrison Ford and continue tomake newMission: Impossiblefilms until he’s 80.
Director Christopher McQuarrie, who returns to helmThe Final Reckoningafter directing the previous two movies, teased last summer that he and Cruise hadideas forMission: Impossible 9.
“The Final Reckoning” title and Ethan’s own line in the trailer to trust him “one last time” suggest that the underperformance of the previous film may have forced Cruise’s hand.Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoningreviewsmay have been glowing, but the film grossed $570 million at the box office, a disappointing result given its COVID-inflated budget of $291 million.THRreports that the next movie has a budget that’s “approaching $400 million,” andleaning into it being the final installment in the franchise might be the only way that Paramount sees any hope of it turning a profit.
Our Take On Mission: Impossible 8 Being The Last One
The Tom Cruise Franchise Has Been At Its Best In Recent Years
Even though the franchise is almost three decades old, some of the best installments have been the more recent ones. Cruise and McQuarrie clearly have a strong working relationship, andpurely from a quality perspective, there’s a strong argument to be made that Hunt’s adventures should continue. Making aMission: Impossiblemovie, however, is clearly an expensive endeavor, and the audience interest needs to be very high to justify these big price tags.
Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Cliffhanger Ending Explained
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning ends on a cliffhanger setting up what’s to come. We break down the film’s ending & what’s next for Ethan.
Dead Reckoningwas the victim of unfortunate timing last year, hitting theaters only a week before bothBarbieandOppenheimer,but it may also be the victim of franchise fatigue. It might be for the best thatMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoningbe the last installment, as it gives the franchise a chance to go out on a high note rather than overstay its welcome.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Cast
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning follows Ethan Hunt and his team as they pursue a formidable AI called the Entity that has compromised global intelligence networks. With new allies and a haunting figure from Hunt’s past in pursuit, they must act quickly to avert a global catastrophe.
