Goodbye Ethan Hunt? Rumor has it that Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 will be the character's farewell film

Foreign media Variety quoted anonymous sources as saying that Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 are intended to be the farewell of Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, or the "climax" of the entire series. It is not surprising that these two films are particularly important to the entire series, because they have been postponed four or five times and are expected to be released on July 14, 2023 and June 28, 2024, respectively.

The two films were originally scheduled to be shot back-to-back, but the pandemic disrupted those plans. According to Variety, Mission: Impossible 8 is about to enter production in South Africa. Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie both wanted to allow both films to be shot safely outdoors, rather than in a studio and in front of a green screen.

The article also pointed out that the Mission: Impossible series is a very important IP for Paramount, but the movies are not profitable. This is partly due to the agreement reached between Cruise and the studio: after the movie reaches a certain level of success, he will receive a share of the box office. For example, Tom Cruise earned about $50 million from Mission: Impossible 6.

The report also noted that Tom Cruise has been adamant about following safety protocols while filming during the pandemic. Last year, leaked audio suggested that following guidelines was important because Hollywood was following the example of Mission: Impossible 7.