Tom Cruise is continuing to push himself to the limit to make memorable stunts for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and Part Two. The action star has taken the franchise to new heights in recent years - literally and figuratively - as audiences have become even more invested in seeing Ethan Hunt's story continue. A big part of the Mission: Impossible movies' allure at this point, though, is seeing what new Tom Cruise stunt they will include. The films have always made a point of showing practical stunts done by its star, but the more recent entries have taken this mission to another level.
In recent Mission: Impossible movies, Tom Cruise has scaled the tallest building in the world and hung off the side of an actual airplane. The lead-up to Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning's two-part story has been filled with teases of the lengths that Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie are going to make sure the stunts are even bigger and better than what came before. The breathtaking action sequences have become just as big of an attraction as Cruise, with the pairing of the daredevil and death-defying stunts creating a perfect match. Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 appear poised to raise the bar for Tom Cruise's stunts yet again.
Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible Stunts Keep Getting More Dangerous
The Mission: Impossible movie stunts Tom Cruise does have continued to get more dangerous with each new installment. Audiences originally saw him hang from a wire while stealing data, run from an exploding water tank, and casually rock climb in dangerous terrain in earlier entries. While some of these movies utilized CGI for action scenes, such as Mission: Impossible's train fight, this is no longer the norm. Ever since Cruise returned to the franchise with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, he's made it his mission to scale the Burj Khalifa, hold his breath for over 6 minutes for an underwater stunt, and learn to fly a helicopter.
Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 are poised to continue upping the ante when it comes to the danger of Tom Cruise's stunts. The big motorcycle cliff jump sequence in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One looks to be among the most impressive action sequences ever captured. The sequel is also known to include a daring sequence that involves Tom Cruise fighting on a small bi-plane. These dangerous stunts are not even the most extreme, as McQuarrie has teased there is an even bigger action sequence for Mission: Impossible 8 that they have not worked on yet.
Why Tom Cruise Keeps Pushing The Limits Of Mission: Impossible Stunts
Tom Cruise's desire to constantly push himself when making new Mission: Impossible stunts has become a core part of his persona as an actor. He is the ultimate showman and entertainer in that perspective, so he always wants to make sure that he is doing the most he can while he is still physically able. Tom Cruise is an adrenaline junky who constantly seeks the thrills of learning new skills and doing what others might think is impossible. The more Mission: Impossible stunts Tom Cruise accomplishes, the more his legacy as one of Hollywood's best action stars grows.
The other reason why Mission: Impossible 7 & 8's Tom Cruise stunts will push the limits of what he can do is that they help keep the franchise fresh. Cruise loves the theatrical movie experience and wants audiences to show up whenever one of his new films is released. Putting death-defying stunts in the Mission: Impossible movies makes it clear to the public that the latest installment is something they need to see on the biggest screen possible. That's why the Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One IMAX featurette focused so heavily on Tom Cruise's motorcycle stunt. It's an easy path to hook audiences.
When Will Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible Stunts End?
The decades of thrills that Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible stunts will not last forever, and they could come to an end sooner than later. Reports have surfaced that Mission: Impossible 8 is intended to be the last appearance for Cruise as Ethan Hunt. If this is the plan, audiences will see Tom Cruise's final stunt in the franchise when Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two releases in theaters in 2024. That would mean nearly 30 years of increasingly dangerous set pieces that could culminate with the franchise's biggest stunt.
Tom Cruise leaving the Mission: Impossible franchise behind does not mean that his days of being an action star committed to doing incredible stunts practically are over. He and the franchise are a perfect pairing in that regard, but he also has plans to make several other action movies after Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and Part Two. This includes filming a movie in space potentially. Since many of Tom Cruise's future movie plans involve Christopher McQuarrie, there is little doubt that his daring stunts will continue as long as he can physically do them and think of new and exciting ways to entertain audiences.
