‘Mission: Impossible 8’ unveils thrilling trailer and title that teases Ethan Hunt’s ‘Final Reckoning’
Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt for what could be the last time. On Monday, Paramount revealed the official title for “Mission: Impossible 8,” which is slated for theaters in May. The title, “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” along with the general “it has all come down to this” vibe of the trailer, may lead you to believe this will be the final “M:I” film, but that’s not necessarily the case. Cruise doesn’t seem to be ready to hang up his running shoes yet.
While the fate of the franchise is a little bit up in the air, there’s no question about whether or not 62-year-old Cruise has still got it. In the teaser trailer that reveals the title, Cruise is seen sprinting through multiple locations, in his underwear grappling with a knife-wielding assassin, and hanging off the wing of a single engine plane. He’s still willing to put his life on the line for crazy stunts.
The plot of the film is left vague in the teaser, but there are intimations that this will be some sort of final mission for Ethan Hunt and his crew. “I need you to trust me…one last time,” he says at the end of the trailer.
“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” is directed by Christopher McQuarrie, from a script by McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen. Cruise and McQuarrie are the producers. Along with Cruse, the cast includes Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, and Frederick Schmidt.
“The Final Reckoning” was originally intended to be a direct continuation of 2023’s “Dead Reckoning Part One,” but that plan was scuttled when “Dead Reckoning” underperformed at the box office. Production on “The Final Reckoning” started in 2022 and wrapped this summer, with filming taking place in the UK, Malta, South Africa, and Norway.
“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” opens in theaters on May 23, 2025.