Though Tom Cruise has a ton of huge non-Mission: Impossible movies, M:I is the actor’s flagship series for many reasons. Whether audiences flock to the cinema on opening weekend for Cruise’s camaraderie with Simon Pegg, the insane stunt work, or the classic spy tropes, the M:I movies seem to get better and more detailed with each consecutive release.
Though the franchise had a different director for each movie, when Christopher McQuarrie was hired to helm the fifth film, Rogue Nation, he worked so well with Cruise that the director has been at the helm of every movie since. The director is mostly to thank for the excessively frightening stunts and finally introducing some great villains into the series. And based on what we know about the seventh movie so far, it seems like his vision for the franchise is bigger than ever.
Motorcycle Jump
One of the ways the franchise got better is with its stunts, but fans have been getting bored of the motorcycle stunts, as there seems to be a token bike chase shoehorned into every movie at this point. However, the seventh movie in the franchise seems to up the ante, as Cruise will be jumping off a ramp on the top of a mountain, and it sounds like Cruise is doubling down on the clear death wish that he has.
Venice Water Taxi Hopping
One of the best things about the Mission: Impossible series is the way it turns some of the most iconic places into giant set pieces, and it’s why it’s way ahead of the curve compared to other humdrum action movies. Whether it’s scaling the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper, or running through a sandstorm, M:I has always built its stunts around amazing landmarks, and now M:I7 will see Cruise jump between the boats in Venice’s streets.
Rome Car Chase
One trope of spy movies is the globe-trotting espionage that sees the spies in some of the most beautiful cities, and Mission: Impossible is no different, as it has seen Ethan Hunt travel to Dubai, London, Paris, and many others. The seventh movie will continue that tradition, as Italy seems to have a major presence in the film. Not only will the movie feature exciting stunts in Venice, but there’ll reportedly be a huge car chase based in Rome too.
A Fight On Top Of A Train
One of the reasons why Mission: Impossible – Fallout is arguably the best spy movie of the 21st century is because of the way it tries to one-up on its predecessor’s stunts, and it’s what the series has become known for.
As Fallout saw Cruise literally perform a HALO jump and fly a helicopter in between mountains, there have to be several death-defying stunts in the seventh entry, and the biggest one of the lot seems to have been revealed. Cruise will literally be fighting on top 0f a moving train in Norway.
Mission: Impossible 8 Is Being Shot Concurrently
There are a lot of upcoming Tom Cruise projects, but most people won’t know that Mission: Impossible 8 will come sooner than expected. Though there is usually a three or four year gap between Mission: Impossible movies, the eighth film in the series will arrive just one year after M:I7, as the two movies are being shot at the same time. The decision came after Fallout clocked in at 160 minutes, and McQuarrie knew he had way more ideas that could pad out two movies.
The Cast Is Back
Though the series would look a lot different if it was recast today, the franchise would be nothing without Tom Cruise. The actor almost single-handedly turned the TV series from a low-profile spy series into a huge blockbuster franchise, but he did have a helping hand from an ensemble cast. Ving Rhames brought humanity to the movies, Simon Pegg brought humor, and Rebecca Ferguson was a much needed female lead, and they are all thankfully returning for the seventh movie, and presumably the eighth movie too.
Hayley Atwell Is Joining The Cast
With the Mission: Impossible movies constantly adding actors to its roster, the new one to join is Hayley Atwell, who is best known for playing Peggy Carter in the MCU and in her own TV show, Agent Carter. The actress will be performing some stunts of her own too, as she reportedly gets caught in a car crash and features in several fight scenes, but her exact role in the movie isn’t clear.
So Is Esai Morales
The Mission: Impossible movies feature some of the most hated characters, and with McQuarrie’s Rogue Nation and Fallout, it was the first time the franchise had an exciting and memorable villain with Sean Harris’ Solomon Lane.
But now, Esai Morales, who is mostly known for NYPD Blue and Ozark, will be taking up the reigns as the primary villain. It has already been announced that he’ll be the primary villain in Mission: Impossible 8 too.
Poland Is Another Location
On top of the action sequences taking place in Rome and Venice, which are sure to be exciting enough, Cruise and co. will also stop by Poland. Though there isn’t much information on what takes place in the country, Poland is a typical location for most spy movies, and it actually comes as a surprise that it’s taken seven movies for the series to finally shoot in Poland.
The Working Title Is Mission: Impossible – Libra
With M:I having dropped the numerical titles after Mission: Impossible III, the movies’ names have often seemed strange, and the seventh movie is no different, as it’s working title is Libra.
The Mission: Impossible titles rarely carry any weight and are seemingly random words or code names for MacGuffins and red herrings. Very few people could explain what Ghost Protocol was, and like The Phantom Menace, there were no ghosts in the movie. The name Fallout is completely unrelated to the movie’s narrative, so whatever Libra actually means, it probably isn’t actually that much of a big deal.