Is this really the end for Ethan Hunt? Tom Cruise’s last mission revealed as 'Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning' gears up for UAE release

Will Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, releasing on May 21 in the UAE, really mark the end of a blockbuster film franchise that kicked off almost 30 years ago? 

At a recent promotional event for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning in Seoul, Cruise said, “The audience has to go see the movie, as it is a culmination of the last 30 years of the franchise. So that’s what this is. And I don’t want to give anything away for audiences.” 

If these rather ambiguous words from one of Hollywood’s top superstars are anything to go by, long-time fans can surely expect something more from the “culmination” of the Mission: Impossible franchise. A spin-off in the future, perhaps? 

Even if this is the grand finale, Cruise’s firm stance on only making films for the big screen is something we have to admire in the current frenzied monopoly of streaming networks. Let’s get real - audiences for the actor’s brand of old-school entertainment are dwindling; they’re opting to stream content on their home screens or devices over making a trip to the local cinema. Even top Hollywood stars are increasingly succumbing to the allure of OTT, choosing it over conventional filmmaking and television. 

But the Mission: Impossible franchise is an enduring testament to Cruise’s efforts towards restoring, and expanding, the magic of the big screen. 1996’s Mission: Impossible - the first in the franchise - was a thrilling spy caper that established Cruise as a top action star, with his character - the intrepid, resourceful Ethan Hunt - effortlessly breaking into the upper echelons of espionage on celluloid. 

Almost three decades later, the 62-year-old actor is still on a roll as Hunt - and continuing to thrill and shock us with his death-defying stunts on screen. After witnessing him scaling Dubai’s towering Burj Khalifa in 2011’s Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and jumping off a cliff with a motorcycle before deploying a parachute in 2023’s Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, among many other eye-popping scenes from the franchise, it’s safe to say we are collectively holding our breaths to see what Cruise gets up to in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. 

Here’s what we know about the film so far: 

What is Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning about?

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One saw Ethan Hunt and his team, the Impossible Mission Force (IMF), battling a rogue artificial intelligence machine called “the Entity” and taking on an assassin who wants to control it. While not many details are available about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, it does conclude the events of the previous film. Hunt also vowed to avenge the killing of former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson. Interestingly, director Christopher McQuarrie, like Cruise, has refrained from explicitly confirming that this film will be the last in the franchise. 

 What kind of stunts can fans expect this time around?

Cruise is famous for performing movie stunts on his own, and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is no exception. Cruise shared in an interview to Empire how a particular stunt from Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which required him to hang precariously from the wing of a biplane over 10,000 feet in the air, was truly intense. “When you stick your face out, going over 120 to 130 miles an hour, you’re not getting oxygen. So I had to train myself how to breathe. There were times I would pass out physically; I was unable to get back into the cockpit.”

How long is Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning?

Hollywood films are known for their brevity, but Cruise has a penchant for breaking the rules of conventional cinema, and we’re not complaining! Clocking in at a whopping 2 hours and 49 minutes, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning edges past its predecessor, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, which had a runtime of 2 hours and 43 minutes. Thrills galore? Obviously. Expect to constantly be on the edge of your seat whilst watching the longest film in the Mission: Impossible franchise! 

Which stars are returning to the franchise?

Stepping back into the Mission: Impossible fray are actors Angela Bassett and Hayley Atwell as Erika Sloane and Grace, respectively. Also returning are Esai Morales (as the villainous Gabriel), Pom Klementieff (Paris), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell) and Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn). Atwell gave a shout out to her co-stars and fans in an Instagram post last month, writing, “Five years working with @tomcruise and this incomparable crew. Dedication, courage and camaraderie got us here… and it’s all for you. The audience. From Grace, with love @missionimpossible.”

Who’s new? 

Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Janet McTeer, Katy O’Brian and Nick Offerman are part of the newly added Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning cast members. British star Waddingham, who plays businesswoman Rebecca Welton in the comedy series Ted Lasso, was all praise for Cruise in a 2023 television interview and defended him against critics. She said, “He is without doubt one of the loveliest and encouraging, positive and inspiring human beings I have ever met. Isn’t he gorgeous? I have no time for anyone saying anything about him.”

Don’t miss it!

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning will release on May 21 in cinemas across the UAE.