By sagnika sinha
Do you wonder what keeps Tom Cruise going? Can you imagine the longevity of the Mission Impossible movies? Are you planning to binge-watch all the Mission Impossible films over the weekend? If you are a Mission Impossible virgin, this blog is for you!
The recent entries in the franchise are quite tricky, especially regarding the long list of movies that introduced Tom Cruise to the action cinema world! It may be unclear for you to keep a tab on all the films. So, how many mission impossible movies are there?
Hence, I am here to tell you about the chronological order of all Mission Impossible movies. With the changes in the narratives of every movie, I am sure you have to keep up to watch the current film in the franchise. You will also get an idea of Tom Cruise net worth!
There is an added challenge in the form of the names of the movies, especially because after the first three installments, the numerical numbers still need to be followed. This might be because Jeremy Renner was supposed to replace Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in this movie.
However, Cruise came on sexier, hotter, and enigmatic after he pulled stunts that turned fans into a frenzy. I will share several other little anecdotes related to all these movies, so keep reading the blog to learn how many movies are impossible!
How Many Mission Impossible Movies Are There?
It has been 25 years that Tom Cruise played the part of Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible franchise! The new movie, the eighth installment, is coming in 2025; however, the film’s chronological order is all in the blog!
I will discuss all the movies and how their plot influences the audience! It all started in 1996 when Tom Cruise was first cast in the Mission Impossible movie. One of the major reasons this series became a huge success was Tom Cruise’s insatiable drive.
At a certain point in the Mission Impossible franchise timeline, there was a probability that the movies would stop happening, especially with Paramount Pictures cutting all ties with Tom Cruise. This was when the superstar changed his publicist, leading to various bombastic interactions with interviewers!
His interview with Oprah Winfrey regarding his love life blew up on the internet, making the production houses connected with him question his stability and mindset! Paramount Pictures considered Jeremy Renner a replacement for Tom Cruise when planning Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol!
The idea was for Tom Cruise to lay down the mantle while Jeremy Renner would take over as he portrayed the role of William Brandt. However, Tom Cruise did not allow anything of the sort to happen. He did one of the biggest stunts in the industry, scaling the Burj Khalifa.
Henceforth, creating unforgettable experiences every time he came on screen, Tom Cruise has become irreplaceable in the Mission Impossible franchise. Leonardo Dicaprio net worth is probably somewhere less as compared to Tom Cruise especially with such a huge franchise!
Mission Impossible
The movie “Mission Impossible” was released in 1996, the first film in the franchise! The name was taken from a TV series from 1966 to 1973! A multi-billion-dollar-earning franchise took the original story and changed it! Now you will get the answer to your question, how many Missions impossible movies are there!
The IMF agent’s team is all dead, and only Ethan Hunt is alive, but he is suspected of being a mole by the organization. Cruise’s character is on the run to prove himself and stop the actual mole from creating further chaos. From day one, Cruise has done all his stunts on his own!
Brian De Palma directed the movie with some character actors, such as Jim Phelps! In major character roles, other actors include Vanessa Redgrave, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Emilio Estevez.
There was a rumor that the director of the movie De Palma and Tom Cruise might have been clashing! They did not get along well, as per reports, and the way the director bowed out of the movie’s promotional events is possible.
Since then, the director has not directed any movie in the franchise, so I am banning the rumor. Apple, now a brand, suffered from fiscal losses; hence, it paid about $15 million to the movie for promotional aspects
Mission Impossible II
John Woo directed the second movie in the franchise, Mission Impossible II, released in 2000. In this movie, the IMF and Hunt come back with a new story about searching and disposing of a biochemical weapon, “Chimera”!
The IMF agent, Sean Ambrose, the villain in this movie, is played by Dougray Scott. Other actors in this cast are Thandiwe Newton and Brendan Gleeson. The plot talks about the biochemical weapon being used to start a pandemic and then later sell the antidote for billions of dollars.
The storyline was based in Australia, which increased the movie’s value along with Tom Cruise’s popularity. The action sequences are amazing and make for a perfect cinematic experience.
Mission Impossible III
There is a six-year gap between the franchise’s second and third movie, as it was released in 2006! The third movie introduces two major characters. One is the fiancee of Hunt, Julia Meade, portrayed by Michelle Monaghan, and the second character is Benji Dunn, an IMF technician played by Simon Pegg.
In this movie, Hunt is seen as someone ready to retire and accept family life; however, it seems the organization cannot let him go! He does one last job for the IMF. However, the enemies follow him home.
The most chilling villain of all time in this franchise was Owen Davian, portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman! His wife Julia is dragged into all this! This is where he realizes he can never have a normal family life!
The movie, directed by J.J. Abrams, sees several other significant actors, such as Billy Crudup, Keri Russell, and Laurence Fishburne. It is one of the movies in the franchise with the lowest revenue compared to other movies.
Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol
This felt like a comeback of Tom Cruise with the Paramount Pictures production house after his crisis with Scientology and relationship interviews! The movie does not disappoint as it truly steps into the new era of action movies.
Released in 2011, the plot follows Ethan Hunt on his Mission, “Ghost Protocol,” where it is up to him and his team to work out the issues created after the Kremlin is blown out. This movie shows that even after everything goes wrong, Hunt still makes it right.
Some additions to the cast in this movie are Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Lea Seydoux, and Paula Patton. A nuclear war is what Hunt and his team need to stop; hence, the stakes are higher than ever.
The ensemble-based plot starts in this movie, where Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg continue to stay as Hunt’s team. Jeremy Renner played the character of William Brandt, another important member of Hunt’s team.
The director, Brad Bird, makes his live-action debut with this movie while Cruise sets a new feat! His iconic climb on the Burj Khalifa creates a significant presence of the character Ethan Hawke in the action movie genre globally.
Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation
The fifth installment in the franchise sees Rebecca Ferguson join the cast as Ilsa Faust, an MI6 agent who crosses paths with Ethan Hunt. A talented actress, you can see her amazing performance and capability as an actor in the Sci-Fi movie Dune!
There is another significant actor, Alec Baldwin, playing the director of the IMF, who joins the cast along with Sean Harris, the villain Solomon Lane of the movie! Are you already wondering how many Mission impossible movies are there?
Even though Jeremy Renner played Agent Brandt in this movie, he could not continue in the following film due to his commitment to the MCU! In this movie, the plot is the most complicated of all the franchises by far, as there is another institution, the Syndicate, who captures Hunt.
The Syndicate plans to change the world order while Hunt tries to stop this with his team. The director of the movie, Christopher McQuarrie, brings a fresh feel to the film with amazing stunts and more emotion from the character of Hunt!
Mission Impossible – Fallout
Christopher McQuarrie, the movie director, brings in another popular actor, Henry Cavill, to portray August Walker! The film in 2018 follows Ethan Hunt, his team, and Elsa Faust, who follow whatever is left of the Syndicate to finish them.
An unknown entity, John Lark, who is heading the Apostles, is introduced to the rebranded Syndicate. The CIA Director, portrayed by Angela Bassett, assigns August to Ethan’s team to oversee the missions. However, it turns out that instead of helping Hunt, August is after his benefit!
Vanessa Kirby joins the cast as the White Widow, the middleman selling and buying Plutonium cores. The movie Fallout is heavily related to the Rogue Nation; hence, watch them chronologically, or you might need clarification.
In this movie, Ethan’s wife, Julia, portrayed by Michelle Monaghan, reappears as the villain finds her and puts her in harm’s way. In this movie, Tom Cruise broke his ankle while attempting a stunt where he had to jump off between two buildings!
Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1
Most of the Ethan Hunt, Benji, Luther, and Elsa Faust team are an integral part of this movie! However, many new members have joined the cast, such as Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Indira Varma, Pom Klementieff, Mark Gatiss, Cary Elwes, and Pom Klementieff.
With the same director, Cruise has found his calling with the Mission Impossible franchise. Christopher McQuarrie directed this movie with some of the best stunts the audience has ever seen.
The world has a new threat; however, it does have a familiar face! Eugene Kittridge, an antagonist in the first Mission Impossible, is back. The new villain of this movie is an AI named Entity, who is supported by Gabriel’s face. Gabriel is the leader and does whatever the Entity wants him to do!
Gabriel is a vessel for the AI, but we must discover this villain’s plans! I am sure we will see that in the eighth movie of the franchise. He is connected to Ethan’s past; however, we are still not sure in what way!
In a flashback, Gabriel kills Marie, an important woman in Ethan’s life! This is an important turn of events because he also kills Elsa Faust, another important woman in Ethan’s life, and he is unable to save her. In this movie, Tom Cruise jumps off a cliff while driving a motorcycle!
Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 2
This is the eighth part of the Mission Impossible franchise, and I am sure Hunt, and his team are preparing to face the new opposition, the Entity! When you watch the seventh installment, you will see that there is a key that everyone is seeking.
The Entity is also after Ethan because it knows only, he can get it! The death of Elsa Faust might resemble the end of Rebecca Ferguson’s character in the franchise, even as the director has not established anything definite. Of course, fans keep hoping that she will come back.
The fans are contemplating that Gabriel has a big hand in Ethan Hunt becoming who he is today! The whole series is about what happened so many years ago. Some, like Eliel Thin, think he is the one who created it!
The storyline will be further explored and exposed to the fans in this movie! Fans will get a better sense of Ethan’s origin from this movie as it will explain why Ethan came to the IMF forcefully, even though now he considers it his responsibility to save the world.
The movie is scheduled for release on 23 May 2025! Hayley Atwell, who will portray Grace’s role, will join the team as a recruit for the IMF. There is still contemplation about the character of Ilsa Faust returning, if only for flashbacks because she has already been killed.
Would this movie be the last in the franchise? However, that might be different based on the director’s recent development and interview! He commented on the development of the plot, which might not support the theory.
Finishing Off…
To sum it up, Mission Impossible movies are quite an exciting experience, but do you know how many Mission Impossible movies are there? After reading the article, you will learn about the movie’s nitty-gritty and how the plot has been shaped.
Tom Cruise has performed as the character of Ethan Hunt for a long time, but in the last few movies, there have been amazing plotlines, stunts, and action. The plot revolves around saving the world along with Ethan Hunt’s challenges.
Comment to let us know which movie in the Mission Impossible franchise is your favorite and the reason behind it!
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