New footage and stunts were shown off for Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible VII at this year's CinemaCon. Tom Cruise's latest venture into the Mission: Impossible franchise has been a rocky one, as Covid-19 has caused multiple delays while filming all over the world. Directed once again by Christopher McQuarrie, the series began with 1996's Mission: Impossible, directed by Brian DePalma and has grown into Cruise's staple franchise, earning more than $3.5 billion at the global box office thus far. The latest film features Cruise, along with returning castmembers Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and the return of Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge.
In addition to the returning cast, new additions include Hayley Atwell, Cary Elwes, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Rob Delaney and Esai Morales, purported to be the film's villain. Plot details are unknown, but multiple set photos have revealed that the stunts and action for Mission: Impossible VII will fit the standard that the franchise has maintained from the get-go. The film has been shooting since September 2020 and continues to film in Birmingham, England with an eye to release on May 27, 2022. Despite a rant by Cruise about Covid-19 concerns captured on audio, things have continued along smoothly.
Today at CinemaCon, Paramount unveiled a 10-minute behind-the-scenes video of Mission: Impossible VII's most dangerous stunt, as well as a short sizzle reel of footage from the film. Screen Rant was in attendance for the footage and captured a few tidbits of what was seen, including a first look at Henry Czerny once again as Kittridge (in a gas mask), which marks his first return to the franchise since the 1996 original. Cary Elwes is seen in an office room, showing the seasoned actor making his first appearance in the franchise as well. Another scene shows Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and Hayley Atwell's character on a train, with Atwell's clothes catching fire and Ethan trying to put the fire out. In addition, a desert shoot-out is teased, as well as a brief look at Esai Morales as the villain.
McQuarrie went on to explain that the only thing scarier than the stunt they pulled off in Mission: Impossible VII was what they had planned for Mission: Impossible VIII, which is slated to shoot directly after filming on the current movie is complete. As for the return of Kittridge, fans have long-desired to see the former Impossible Mission Force director return to the series, having made a particularly strong impression at the start of it. Czerny has worked steadily since that appearance, showing up in a multitude of projects, including Revenge, Sharper Objects and recently as Toyman in Supergirl.
With bigger stunts and both new and returning cast members, the Mission: Impossible franchise continues to be an unstoppable force, and with McQuarrie at the reins, it feels like a cohesive narrative has developed, linking all of the films together with each new entry. Originally, the series began as a kind of anthology with different filmmakers, such as John Woo and J.J. Abrams, taking on Cruise's Ethan Hunt and creating new team members and scenarios for each film. By the fourth film ,the links began to get stronger, and by the time McQuarrie took over, the franchise had taken on the shape of an unfolding story, rather than an episodic series. With recurring characters and threads being pulled from each film, as well as Cruise insisting on doing his own stunts, Mission: Impossible has become more than an entertaining action/spy series, but a franchise that feels like it's telling a much bigger interconnected story. Where that leads is anyone's guess, but it's showing no signs of slowing down yet.
Mission: Impossible VII will light the fuse again on May 22nd, 2022.
