Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt later this year, in the eighth instalment of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ film franchise.
The vastly expensive, much delayed latest instalment in the Mission: Impossible film franchise is set for release this spring – and it remains unclear whether the movie will mark Ethan Hunt’s final assignment.
Who stars in the new Mission: Impossible movie?
The eighth film in the M:I series, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning once again stars Tom Cruise as Hunt, a skilled operative who carries out high-risk missions for a secret US government agency.
The picture is a direct sequel to 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One; indeed, The Final Reckoning was originally entitled Dead Reckoning Part Two. Filmed back to back, the two movies see Hunt and his team at the Impossible Missions Force go up against the “Entity”, an advanced artificial-intelligence system that has gone rogue.
When is Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning released?
Distributed by Paramount Pictures, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is due out in US movie theaters on Friday May 23, 2025.
The Final Reckoning had originally been scheduled to come out in 2022, but – with Dead Reckoning also pushed back – the movie was delayed several times. The reasons for the hold-ups included the Hollywood strikes in 2023, and a reported submarine malfunction early last year.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: watch the official trailer
How much did Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning cost to make?
In part because of the project’s numerous delays, the budget for The Final Reckoning is estimated to have hit around $400 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made. 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens is credited with being the costliest movie of all time, at a reported $446.6 million.
Will The Final Reckoning be the last Mission: Impossible film?
The Misson: Impossible franchise’s future after The Final Reckoning remains unconfirmed.
The title of the new movie certainly suggests it might be the last chapter in the series. What’s more, The Hollywood Reporter revealed in November that Paramount Pictures was keen to boost audience interest in the film by promoting it as the final instalment in the franchise.
Screen Rant’s Max Ruscinski also points out that the trailer for The Final Reckoning includes a potentially significant line from the movie, in which Cruise’s character tells his team: “I need you to trust me – one last time.”
However, Cruise has spoken of his desire to carry on filming Mission: Impossible into his 80s – emulating Harrison Ford’s longevity as the star of the Indiana Jones franchise.
“Harrison Ford is a legend,” Cruise, 62, told an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald last summer. “I hope to be still going; I’ve got 20 years to catch up with him. I hope to keep making Mission: Impossible films until I’m his age.”
