WEBSITE DESCRIPTION: Glen Powell denied rumors that he would replace Tom Cruise as the lead of one of Hollywood’s biggest action franchises on Tuesday, citing the American actor’s stunts. danger in the Mission Impossible series.
Mission Impossible is a long-running franchise known for its high-octane action, including daring stunts like hanging from the side of a plane while it’s taking off or climbing the Burj Khalifa just with a single safety rope. And unlike other Hollywood mainstays, the star of this series prefers to perform his own stunts.
Tom Cruise, who began playing Ethan Hunt in 1996, has no plans to end his role as the intrepid spy despite the latest film signaling a possible end to the saga. The first teaser trailer of ‘Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning’ was released on Tuesday. As footage of Cruise’s Hunt character flashes across the screen, ominous voices set the stage for the series’ latest installment.
“Our lives are the sum of our actions,” one voice says, while another says “everything you do leads to this result.” Even Hunt himself at the end of the trailer says “I need you to trust me one last time.”
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However, in 2023, Cruise stated that he wants to make films in the franchise for a long time, praising another actor whose career is prolific but continues to thrive despite his age. “Harrison Ford is a legend I hope continues; I have 20 years to catch up with him. I hope to continue making Mission: Impossible movies until I’m his age.”
Whether or not the 62-year-old action star gets his wish largely depends on whether the movies keep coming back. The latest installment has a reported budget of around $400 million, meaning it will likely need to make $900 million to break even.
If the franchise continues to be profitable, Cruise may need to find a successor, who many believe could be Glen Powell. The American actor’s name is becoming increasingly familiar after appearing in films such as Top Gun: Maverick in which he starred with Cruise.
However, it was the aforementioned stunts that made Powell believe that he might not be allowed to take on that role.
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“My mother would never let me do that. It’s the worst show in town, everyone knows it. It’s a death trap,” Powell said in a conversation with ESPN reporter Pat McAfee.