Jeremy Renner has provided an update on his Mission: Impossible future, and it could help revive old plans for the franchise. Renner notably joined Tom Cruise’s action franchise in 2010 to play IMF agent William Brandt in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. He returned for the sequel, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, but has been missing from the other entries since then. This left uncertainty about whether Jeremy Renner would ever return to the franchise again, especially knowing that he turned down a return for Mission: Impossible – Fallout where Brandt would have died.

After being absent from Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and surviving a near-death accident in real life, the actor is now reconsidering his future. Jeremy Renner is open to a Mission: Impossible return based on an interview conducted in 2024. Now that his kids are a bit older, he would feel more comfortable partaking in the expansive productions, which is why he initially opted out of more appearances. Confirmation of Jeremy Renner’s Mission: Impossible future is still nonexistent, but his new outlook on his place in the franchise could make abandoned franchise plans viable again.

Jeremy Renner’s Interest In A Mission: Impossible Return Comes At A Good Time

Tom Cruise’s Involvement Might Be Nearing An End

The possible return of Jeremy Renner as William Brandt would come at the perfect time for Mission: Impossible. The franchise is in the middle of production on Mission: Impossible 8 and reports have circulated that it could be Tom Cruise’s final appearance as Ethan Hunt. The idea of Tom Cruise leaving Mission: Impossible after the eighth installment was first reported in 2022. Cruise and his longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie, who has directed the last three entries, have both indicated that this plan might not be accurate. However, it is also not confirmed that audiences will see Ethan Hunt again.

If Mission: Impossible 8 is the end for Tom Cruise, Paramount’s multi-billion dollar action franchise is left without its main star. That is why conversations about what the future could look like without Ethan Hunt continue. There is a chance that Paramount will put a pause on making more Mission: Impossible movies. It would also not be surprising if a new IMF team would be put together to create a fresh ensemble cast. It would be in the studio’s best interest to have some big names attached, including familiar faces from the franchise, like Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt.

William Brandt is still an active IMF agent when Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation ends

Jeremy Renner Could Help Replace Tom Cruise After Mission: Impossible 8

He Was Expected To Do So After Ghost Protocol

It would make some sense for Paramount to look to Jeremy Renner to help replace Tom Cruise after Mission: Impossible 8. He is a very recognizable actor thanks to his days of playing Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he has action franchise experience elsewhere. Renner could be one of many actors who become central figures in the Mission: Impossible franchise post-Tom Cruise. It would also be a way to finally make good on the expectations Renner and audiences had when he first joined the franchise.

When it was first announced that Jeremy Renner was cast in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, speculation quickly mounted that he could replace Tom Cruise as the franchise’s lead. This was partially due to Cruise’s standing in Hollywood at the time and Paramount’s own desires for the series. Renner even told MTV in 2010 that “It’s a franchise to potentially take over” when discussing his future. While he attempted to walk back those comments later on, Ghost Protocol‘s cinematographer Robert Elswit confirmed to Light The Fuse Podcast that the movie’s original ending moved the spotlight away from Ethan:

The original version of this movie was at the end of it Tom Cruise stops being Ethan Hunt the agent and becomes Ethan Hunt the Secretary. The whole version of this was they were gonna put another IMF Mission unit together with another actor — maybe it’s Jeremy Renner, who knows who it is — and they’re gonna go through this series of wild events, and at the end Tom gets to be the Secretary and a new agent takes over the franchise.

Paramount’s original plan for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol most likely would have led to future sequels elevating William Brandt’s role so that he was the new Ethan Hunt. This would have made Jeremy Renner the franchise’s Tom Cruise replacement. While the odds of Jeremy Renner fully taking over the Mission: Impossible franchise at this point are not great, the studio could return to the idea of a more Brant-focused story by making him the leader of a new IMF team. This group could then lead Mission: Impossible 9 and beyond.

Will Jeremy Renner Return In Mission: Impossible 8 Or After?

His Return In Mission: Impossible 8 Is Not Confirmed

If William Brandt is going to play a major role in Mission: Impossible‘s future, the question of when Jeremy Renner will return becomes more important. He is currently not confirmed to be part of Mission: Impossible 8‘s cast. The production has encountered many difficulties, delays, and restarts, but Renner has never been linked to filming. His recovery from life-threatening injuries overlapped with most of the film’s production schedule. That significantly reduces the chances of Brandt being featured in Mission: Impossible 8, especially in any significant capacity.

There is a much stronger chance that Renner will be back after Mission: Impossible 8 instead. His renewed interest in returning to the series is a point in the franchise’s favor, as is the possibility of Cruise walking away. It would certainly be great to see Renner back as William Brandt and become a staple of the franchise yet again. But, Mission: Impossible could also very well go in a completely different direction should Tom Cruise really be done, leaving Jeremy Renner on the outs again.