The Mission: Impossible film franchise is one of the few series that seemingly gets stronger the longer it goes on. This decade in particular has been quite fruitful for Ethan Hunt and his IMF cohorts, as both Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation were critically acclaimed box office hits. These two most recent installments have grossed $694.7 million and $682.3 million worldwide, the highest marks in the property's history. Unsurprisingly, there's much interest in the forthcoming Mission: Impossible 6 (not the official title), which recently secured a July 2018 release date. Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie is back at the helm, becoming the first filmmaker to call the shots on two M:I movies.
The project hit a bit of a snag during pre-production due to a salary dispute with star Tom Cruise, but now everything appears to be back on track. While there are concerns Avengers: Infinity War will prevent Jeremy Renner from taking part in M:I 6, McQuarrie and his team are on track to start principal photography this year. Now, a possible filming location has been revealed.
According to THR, producers are eyeing Paris for shooting that will take place in the spring or early summer. Talks are reportedly ongoing, so this has not been confirmed yet. Should this come to be, it would be another beautiful international backdrop for the M:I series. Previous entries have filmed in London, Austria, Morocco, and Dubai. It's unknown what Paris would be used for at this point in time, but the filmmakers could plausibly be interested in using the Eiffel Tower landmark as the centerpiece for an action sequence. Ghost Protocol famously used the Burj Kalifa to great effect, so it would be interesting to see Ethan Hunt leave his mark on another iconic structure. On the flip side, that could run the risk of repeating a greatest hit, so perhaps McQuarrie has something else in mind for Paris.
So far, only Cruise and Rogue Nation standout Rebecca Ferguson are on board for M:I 6, so fans should expect further casting announcements in the coming months. The last two films have maintained some semblance of continuity, which was a relatively new aspect for the franchise. Ethan has worked with Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and William Brandt (Renner) on his last two adventures, so it stands reason to believe at least one of them will return. Rogue Nation also brought series veteran Ving Rhames back into the spotlight, and fans would enjoy seeing him again as well. If the plan is to begin filming soon, then all the pieces should be in place shortly.
In recent years, both the James Bond and Bourne spy franchises experienced creative lulls in the form of Spectre and Jason Bourne, respectively, but M:I has been at the top of its game for the better part of 10 years now (dating back to 2006's Mission: Impossible III). The challenge will be to continue that forward momentum, raising the stakes so it can contend in a Hollywood landscape overflowing with superheroes and Force users. But Cruise and his collaborators have steered this ship on the right course several times before, so they've earned the benefit of the doubt for now.
NEXT: Jeremy Renner Unavailable For M:I 6?
Source: THR