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The Mission: Impossible franchise is going to get a serious reboot as ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ prepares for its release on May 23, 2025. If a rumor provided to The Sun is anything to go by, then fans are in for a treat-a younger version of Tom Cruise’s titular character, Ethan Hunt.
Tom Cruise, who has been the face of the franchise for over 25 years, is keen on giving the series a fresh take by exploring Ethan Hunt’s early life. The Sun’s inside source revealed that Cruise is actively searching for a young, unknown actor to portray a youthful version of Hunt. This new character will make a brief appearance in ‘The Final Reckoning’ and take on a more significant role in the ninth film.
The decision for a new, younger Ethan Hunt comes after ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ brought in box office numbers much lower than the projection for such a highly invested film, estimated at around $290 million. It raked in $566 million worldwide, falling below predecessors like ‘Ghost Protocol’, with $694 million, ‘Rogue Nation’ at $688 million, and ‘Fallout’ with $786 million.
The storyline for ‘The Final Reckoning’ continues from ‘Dead Reckoning’, as Ethan Hunt goes on a mission to take down an AI system known as The Entity, buried inside a sunken Russian stealth submarine. The film will flash back to Ethan’s younger days-a look into what Ethan was like before he was a spy.
Christopher McQuarrie, who helmed ‘Rogue Nation’, ‘Fallout’, and ‘Dead Reckoning’, returns to direct ‘The Final Reckoning. He co-wrote the screenplay with Erik Jendresen. Returning cast includes Hayley Atwell as Grace, Vanessa Kirby as Alanna Mitsopolis, aka the White Widow, Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn and Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge. The newcomers this season are Holt McCallany as Secretary of Defense Bernstein, Nick Offerman as Sydney, with Katy O’Brian, Stephen Oyoung, Tramell Tillman, Janet McTeer, and Lucy Tulugarjuk adding to the show.
A younger Ethan Hunt added to the series should give it a whole new dimension and get the fans excited once again. Cruise will definitely take all the time in the world to cast the perfect actor who could bring young Ethan Hunt into life. This might just be the attempt to take the series into unexplored territory and give the fans another look at the character.
