Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two's co-writer and director Christopher McQuarrie recently provided an update on the hotly anticipated sequel's status.
McQuarrie confirmed that production on the direct follow-up to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will resume almost immediately after that film's promotional campaign wraps up in an interview with Variety. "We finish this tour, and on our way back to the UK we stop to scout along the way," he said. "We hit the ground running as soon as we get back. I get two days of vacation between here and Tokyo and I'm back on [Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two]."
Dead Reckoning is the first two-part Mission: Impossible story in the franchise's history, which has until now traded exclusively in standalone outings. McQuarrie addressed the decision to split Dead Reckoning's narrative across more than one film in a recent interview, explaining that it was the only way to do justice to his epic vision for the project. "I knew I wanted to expand the cast, and I knew I wanted to give each one of those characters more to do, so I knew the movie was going to be bigger and longer than [previous installment] Fallout," he said. "And at which point I said, 'Why are we fighting this? Why are we going to try to jam this into two hours?'"
Mission: Impossible 8 Still Doesn't Have an Ending
This doesn't mean that McQuarrie had both parts of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning fully mapped out when he entered production. On the contrary, the filmmaker recently admitted that he still hasn't nailed down Dead Reckoning Part Two's ending. "I don't know what the ending of Part Two is, so I couldn't tell you," McQuarrie insisted. "I'm not being evasive. I could tell you that I know what the end of Part Two is, but I can't guarantee that that will be the ending when we get there." McQuarrie also confirmed that the eighth Mission: Impossible entry is already halfway in the can, making his admission regarding its ending all the more incredible.
One aspect of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two that is locked in is the surprise return of actor Rolf Saxon. McQuarrie announced that Saxon was on board to reprise the role of CIA analyst William Donloe, last seen in the very first Mission: Impossible movie, in March 2023.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two arrives in cinemas on June 28, 2024.
Source: Variety