Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 has hit the theatres to much fanfare, this is reportedly the last time the actor will be taking up the mantle of playing the iconic role of the super spy, Ethan Hunt. Cruise first took up the role in 1996, making Mission Impossible one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood. So it was only fair that the actor was reported to be very anxious regarding how to end Part 1 of the two parter.
Tom Cruise was anxious about the Mission Impossible 7 Part one ending
Since 2018, fans have eagerly anticipated the conclusion of this franchise. Now, after five years, they finally witness Cruise’s character on their big screen putting the audience through a roller-coaster of a story.
Although ‘Dead Reckoning’ marks the first part of a two-part final, with the second instalment set to release in 2024, fans anticipated a cliffhanger ending. However, Cruise made sure not to disappoint them by providing a satisfying conclusion in the first part, sparing them from waiting a whole year for closure.
In a recent interview with Total Film, Christopher McQuarrie, the director of M:I 7 revealed, “Where we ended the movie was always where we were going to end it. How we ended the movie was a big, big mystery for us, It kept Tom awake at night throughout production. He would come in all the time and say, ‘This can’t be a cliffhanger, it’s got to be satisfying.’ The audience has to feel a sense of completion.”
He continued, “Tom kept looking at that scene and he had all this anxiety about whether or not it would be a satisfying conclusion or whether it would feel open-ended. We constantly revisited it, constantly refined it.”
According to Quarrie, the decision not to end the movie on a cliffhanger was deliberate. He expressed that ending on a cliffhanger might create an expectation for the audience to return, which they didn’t want. Quarrie clarified that their intention was for viewers to exit the theatres with excitement, thinking, “Oh, I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
All we know about Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning 2
Originally, the makers had planned to film both Part 1 and Part 2 back-to-back, similar to the initial intentions for John Wick: Chapter 4 and a fifth instalment. However, due to the pandemic, this was not feasible.
At the premier of the first part, Quarrie told Collider, “We’ve shot all but one of our international locations. We’ve shot our big action except for the biggest set piece, the central set piece of the film, which is massive and unlike anything we’ve done, and, I think, unlike anything you’ve seen.”
The last part of M:I will come out in 2024, though the exact release date isn’t out yet. Everyone from Part 1 will reprise their roles in Part 2 as well, other than Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust and Cary Elwes as Denlinger.
