Tom Cruise and Chris McQuarrie have teamed up again but production seems to be the real Mission: Impossible. After gifting fans with a seventh instalment last year, the dynamic duo have been forced to contend with a few setbacks – including the SAG-AFTRA strikes and reports of a technical malfunction on set.
Nonetheless, Tom and Chris are dedicated to upping the ante when it comes to the adventures of rogue agent, Ethan Hunt. Alongside hints of an epic underwater stunt, plus new additions to the cast, Mission Impossible: Dead Recking – Part Two, promises to raise the stakes. Here's what we know about the eighth film in the franchise…
Plot
While specific plot details remain top secret, the film will follow on from the events of Part One. This time around, Ethan and the team will continue in their search for the Sevastopol submarine in a bid to destroy the Entity – an AI program gone rogue. And of course, there's just the small matter of competing nations trying to find and weaponize it.
Release date
Mission Impossible 8 will land in cinemas on May 23, 2025. The film was originally slated for release in 2024 but was pushed back as a result of the SAG-AFRA strikes.
Cast
Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames and Pom Klementieff, Cary Elwes, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales and more stars are expected to return. After disavowed MI6 agent Ilsa Faust was killed off in Part One, it's unclear if Rebecca Ferguson will resume her role in some capacity.
Meanwhile, actor and stunt performer Stephen Oyoung has joined the cast in an unknown role. Sharing the news on Instagram, he wrote: "Mission accepted! Thank you to Tom Cruise and Chris McQuarrie for having me along for the ride. An absolute dream come true and an incredible master class in filmmaking everyday! Can't wait for you all to see it!"
An epic underwater stunt
Director Chris McQuarrie has teased an underwater stunt of epic proportions. Speaking to Collider, the filmmaker said: "Tom and I are constantly reevaluating our own work and asking ourselves how we could have done it better. We've done underwater sequences previously. We've worked underwater in Edge of Tomorrow, and we worked underwater in Rogue Nation, and we left very dissatisfied with those sequences. And we analyze why we were dissatisfied.
"What were all the factors working against us? The biggest being, not having real knowledge in that area. Everything you're looking at in Dead Reckoning is the application of knowledge from previous sequences."
Chris also told the publication that there's a bigger and better aerial sequence coming too – we can't wait to see what stunts they pull off!
Delays to production
Mission Impossible 8 has faced its fair share of setbacks. After the SAG-AFTRA strikes delayed filming in 2023, the movie was able to resume shooting this year, with Tom Cruise spotted on location around London.
In May, however, it was reported that cast and crew were forced to press pause once more after a malfunction with a £23 million submarine occurred. More specifically, the gimbal used to lower the structure had jammed, requiring ongoing repairs. Tom has refrained from addressing the reports.