Thought Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Was Great? It 'Pales' To 8, Says Tom Cruise's Co-Star

 Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Grace (Hayley Atwell) in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1.
Credit: Paramount Pictures

The Mission: Impossible franchise has become more about Tom Cruise showing off his ability to do crazy stunts than any actual story. Cruise certainly upped the ante in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning: Part One, but one of Cruise’s co-stars is hyping up the sequel, as he promises that Mission: Impossible 8 is going to be bigger and better in every way.

The last Mission: Impossible movie was highlighted by Tom Cruise jumping off a cliff on a motorcycle and parachuting into a ravine. It was such a huge moment that the movie’s promotion hyped the scene long ahead of the film’s release. Shea Whigham, who played the role of Jasper Briggs in the last film, and will be part of the Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning: Part Two cast as well, recently told Business Insider that Cruise is going to make the motorcycle jump from the last movie look like nothing when the sequel opens. He said…

Tom Cruise does stuff that's gonna make number seven pale in comparison. He's unbelievable in the next one.

It’s not exactly shocking that the goal of the new Mission: Impossible movie is to outdo the last one in some way. Every film has tried to improve on what came before it. Of course, with each crazy stunt, it becomes that much harder to top it. Critics loved Dead: Reckoning as much as fans, there are certainly going to be a lot of people excited by whatever is coming.

What exactly “unbelievable” means in this instance is anybody’s guess, but we do have some hints based on the Mission: Impossible 8 details that have been shared. There is at least one major stunt sequence we’re aware of, as director Christopher McQuarrie has shared images of Cruise standing on an airplane while it’s in flight. That’s certainly an incredible moment that is going to look amazing on screen. Now we can only wonder if things will go even bigger than that.

The massive production of Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 got started early in the pandemic, and has been going ever since. Last month, the Mission: Impossible production shut down Trafalgar Square in London, one of several major landmarks the franchise has used over the years. It's still unclear exactly how close to the end this massive production even is. There may still be massive stunts that haven't even been filmed yet.

If Mission: Impossible 8 movie truly does make the last entry pale in comparison, one has to wonder what the future may hold after that. At this point, it’s far from clear if the next Mission: Impossible movie will be the end of the franchise or even the end of Tom Cruise leading the franchise. If this is truly where it comes to a close, then it sounds like they saved the best for last.