# Mission: Impossible (film series)

Mission: Impossible is a series of American action spy films, based on the 1966 TV series created by Bruce Geller. The series is mainly produced by Tom Cruise, who plays Ethan Hunt, an agent of the Impossible Mission Force (IMF). The films have been directed, written, and scored by various filmmakers and crew, while incorporating musical themes from the original series by Lalo Schifrin.
Starting in 1996, the films (taking place starting six years after the events of the previous TV sequel series) follow the missions of the IMF's main field team, under Hunt's leadership, to stop an enemy force and prevent an impending global disaster. The series focuses on Hunt's character, and like the television series' structure, is complemented by an ensemble cast, such as Luther Stickell (played by Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (played by Simon Pegg), who have recurring roles.
The series has experienced a generally positive reception from critics. It is the 17th-highest-grossing film series of all time, earning over $4.09 billion worldwide, and is often cited as one of the best action franchises to date. The sixth film, subtitled Fallout, was released on July 27, 2018 and is currently the series' highest-grossing entry. The seventh and most recent film, Dead Reckoning Part One, was released in July 2023, and an eighth film, The Final Reckoning, is scheduled for release in May 2025. The films are co-produced and released by Paramount Pictures.
In 2024, the series received its first Academy Award nominations, with Dead Reckoning Part One being nominated in the categories of Best Visual Effects and Best Sound at the 96th ceremony.

## Films

| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producers | Status |
| Mission: Impossible | May 22, 1996 (1996-05-22) | Brian De Palma | David Koepp & Robert Towne | David Koepp & Steven Zaillian | Tom Cruise & Paula Wagner | Released |
| Mission: Impossible 2 | May 24, 2000 (2000-05-24) | John Woo | Robert Towne | Brannon Braga & Ronald D. Moore | Tom Cruise & Paula Wagner | Released |
| Mission: Impossible III | May 5, 2006 (2006-05-05) | J. J. Abrams | J. J. Abrams, Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman | J. J. Abrams, Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman | | Tom Cruise & Paula Wagner | Released |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | December 16, 2011 (2011-12-16) | Brad Bird | André Nemec & Josh Appelbaum | André Nemec & Josh Appelbaum | Tom Cruise, Bryan Burk & J. J. Abrams | Released |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | July 31, 2015 (2015-07-31) | Christopher McQuarrie | Christopher McQuarrie | Drew Pearce & Christopher McQuarrie | Tom Cruise, Bryan Burk, Don Granger, J. J. Abrams, Dana Goldberg & David Ellison | Released |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | July 27, 2018 (2018-07-27) | Christopher McQuarrie | Christopher McQuarrie | Christopher McQuarrie | Tom Cruise, Jake Myers, J. J. Abrams & Christopher McQuarrie | Released |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | July 12, 2023 (2023-07-12) | Christopher McQuarrie | Erik Jendresen & Christopher McQuarrie | Erik Jendresen & Christopher McQuarrie | Tom Cruise & Christopher McQuarrie | Released |
| Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | May 23, 2025 (2025-05-23) | Christopher McQuarrie | Erik Jendresen & Christopher McQuarrie | Erik Jendresen & Christopher McQuarrie | Tom Cruise & Christopher McQuarrie | Post-Production |

### Mission: Impossible (1996)

Ethan Hunt is framed for the murder of his IMF team during a botched mission in Prague and accused of selling government secrets to an arms dealer known only as "Max". On the run, Ethan seeks to discover the real traitor and clear his name.

### Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Ethan goes back in action and works with professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandiwe Newton). The duo go undercover to stop rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) (who is also Nyah's former lover) from stealing a deadly virus, starting a pandemic and selling the antidote to the highest bidder.

### Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Ethan is engaged to Julia Meade (Michelle Monaghan), who is unaware of his true job. He assembles a team to face the elusive arms and information broker Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who intends to sell a mysterious dangerous object known as "The Rabbit's Foot".

### Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Ethan and the entire IMF are framed for the bombing of the Kremlin while investigating an individual known only as "Cobalt" (Michael Nyqvist). Ethan and three other agents are left to stop Cobalt from starting a global nuclear war.

### Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Ethan Hunt comes under threat from the Syndicate. Faced with the IMF's disbandment, Hunt assembles his team for their mission to prove the Syndicate's existence and bring the organization down by any means necessary.

### Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

When an IMF mission to recover plutonium goes wrong, the world is faced with the threat of the Apostles, a terrorist group formed by former members of the Syndicate. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill the original mission, the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives.

### Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

An AI called the Entity is responsible for the sinking of the next-generation Russian submarine Sevastopol. The Entity has since gone rogue and entrenched itself into cyberspace; the secret to stopping or controlling it lies with the key, which Ethan Hunt and the IMF must track down, as various world powers and nefarious forces race to obtain the key in order to use the Entity for their own purpose.

### Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

In January 2019, an eighth Mission: Impossible film was announced to be in development, written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. It was originally to be filmed back-to-back with the seventh film. It was scheduled to be released on August 5, 2022, but was delayed to November 4, 2022, then to July 7, 2023, then to June 28, 2024, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later delayed to May 23, 2025 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
Hayley Atwell joined the cast in September 2019, followed by Pom Klementieff and Shea Whigham. In January 2020, Nicholas Hoult and Simon Pegg were announced to be appearing in the film, but Hoult was later replaced by Esai Morales in both films due to scheduling conflicts.
In February 2020, it was announced that Henry Czerny and Vanessa Kirby would return as Eugene Kittridge and Alanna Mitsopolis, respectively. In February 2021, Deadline Hollywood reported that Part Two would no longer be filmed back-to-back with Part One. Filming of Part Two began shortly after production wrapped on Part One. It was initially billed that both films would be a send-off for Ethan Hunt. In October 2023, Dead Reckoning Part Two was removed as the film's subtitle, and in November 2024, the new subtitle The Final Reckoning was announced.

### Future

In June 2023, Christopher McQuarrie stated that Dead Reckoning Part One and The Final Reckoning would not end the series, as there are developments for future installments. In July 2023, during promotion for Dead Reckoning Part One, Cruise expressed interest in continuing to make further films in the series as Ethan Hunt, despite both films having previously been billed as a send-off to the character. Inspired by Harrison Ford's continued success in the Indiana Jones films, Cruise stated that he would like to keep making Mission: Impossible films until he is likewise in his eighties.

## Recurring cast and characters

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the Mission Impossible film series.
* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
* $^C$ indicates a cameo role.
* $^P$ indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
Overview of Mission: Impossible cast and crew :
| Character |
| Character | Mission: Impossible | 2 | III | Ghost Protocol | Rogue Nation | Fallout | Dead Reckoning Part One | The Final Reckoning |
| Ethan Hunt | Tom Cruise | Tom Cruise | Tom Cruise | Tom Cruise | Tom Cruise | Tom Cruise | Tom Cruise | Tom Cruise |
| Luther Stickell | Ving Rhames | Ving Rhames | Ving Rhames | Ving Rhames | Ving Rhames | Ving Rhames | Ving Rhames | Ving Rhames |
| The Voice on Tape | Henry Czerny | Anthony Hopkins | Billy Crudup | Teddy Newtow | Teddy Newtow | Teddy Newtow | Henry Czerny | Henry Czerny |
| Eugene Kittridge | Henry Czerny | | | | | | | | Henry Czerny | Henry Czerny |
| William Donloe | Rolf Saxon | | | | | | | Rolf Saxon |
| The Contact | Andreas Wisniewski | | | Andreas Wisniewski | | | | |
| Benji Dunn | | | Simon Pegg | Simon Pegg | Simon Pegg | Simon Pegg | Simon Pegg | Simon Pegg |
| Julia Meade | | | Michelle Monaghan | Michelle Monaghan | | Michelle Monaghan | | |
| William Brandt | | | | Jeremy Renner | Jeremy Renner | | | |
| Ilsa Faust | | | | | Rebecca Ferguson | Rebecca Ferguson | Rebecca Ferguson | | |
| Solomon Lane | | | | | Sean Harris | Sean Harris | | |
| Secretary Alan Hunley | | | | | Alec Baldwin | Alec Baldwin | | |
| Alanna Mitsopolis The White Widow | | | | | | Vanessa Kirby | Vanessa Kirby | Vanessa Kirby |
| Zola Mitsopolis | | | | | | Frederick Schmidt | Frederick Schmidt | Frederick Schmidt |
| President Erika Sloane | | | | | | Angela Bassett | Angela Bassett | Angela Bassett |
| Grace | | | | | | | Hayley Atwell | Hayley Atwell |
| Jasper Briggs | | | | | | | Shea Whigham | Shea Whigham |
| Degas | | | | | | | Greg Tarzan Davis | Greg Tarzan Davis |
| Gabriel | | | | | | | Esai Morales | Esai Morales |
| Paris | | | | | | | Pom Klementieff | Pom Klementieff |
| Marie | | | | | | | Mariela Garriga | Mariela Garriga |
| Head of the NSA | | | | | | | Mark Gatiss | Mark Gatiss |
| Head of the NRO | | | | | | | Charles Parnell | Charles Parnell |

## Additional crew and production details

Production details of Mission: Impossible films :
| Film | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail |
| Film | Composer | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies | Distributing companies | Running time |
| Mission: Impossible | Danny Elfman | Stephen H. Burum | Paul Hirsch | Paramount Pictures Cruise/Wagner Productions | Paramount Pictures | 110 min |
| Mission: Impossible 2 | Hans Zimmer | Jeffrey L. Kimball | Steven Kemper Christian Wagner | Paramount Pictures Cruise/Wagner Productions Munich Film Partners & Company | Paramount Pictures | 124 min |
| Mission: Impossible III | Michael Giacchino | Dan Mindel | Mary Jo Markey Maryann Brandon | Paramount Pictures Cruise/Wagner Productions The Fourth Production Company Film Group | Paramount Pictures | 126 min |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Michael Giacchino | Robert Elswit | Paul Hirsch | TC Productions Skydance Media Paramount Pictures Bad Robot | Paramount Pictures | 133 min |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | Joe Kraemer | Robert Elswit | Eddie Hamilton | TC Productions Skydance Media Paramount Pictures Bad Robot | Paramount Pictures | 131 min |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Lorne Balfe | Rob Hardy | Eddie Hamilton | TC Productions Skydance Media Paramount Pictures Bad Robot | Paramount Pictures | 147 min |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | Lorne Balfe | Fraser Taggart | Eddie Hamilton | TC Productions Skydance Media Paramount Pictures | Paramount Pictures | 163 min |
| Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | Lorne Balfe | Fraser Taggart | Eddie Hamilton | TC Productions Skydance Media Paramount Pictures | Paramount Pictures | |

## Reception
### Box office performance

Box-office performance off Mission: Impossible films :
| Film | U.S. release date | Budget | Box-office gross | Box-office gross | Box-office gross |
| Film | U.S. release date | Budget | Domestic | International | Worldwide |
| Mission: Impossible | May 22, 1996 | $80 million | $180,981,856 | $276,714,535 | $457,696,391 |
| Mission: Impossible 2 | May 24, 2000 | $125 million | $215,409,889 | $330,978,219 | $546,388,108 |
| Mission: Impossible III | May 5, 2006 | $150 million | $134,029,801 | $264,449,696 | $398,479,497 |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | December 16, 2011 | $145 million | $209,397,903 | $485,315,477 | $694,713,380 |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | July 31, 2015 | $150 million | $195,042,377 | $487,674,259 | $682,716,636 |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | July 27, 2018 | $178 million | $220,159,104 | $571,498,294 | $791,657,398 |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning | July 12, 2023 | $291 million | $172,635,383 | $398,500,000 | $571,135,383 |
| Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | May 23, 2025 | $400 million | | | |
| Total | Total | $1.519 billion | $1,327,156,313 | $2,812,030,480 | $4,139,186,793 |

### Critical and public response

The Mission: Impossible film series has received positive reviews from critics and audiences, with the latter four attracting significant praise directed towards their direction, cinematography, stunts, action sequences, performances, and musical scores.
Critical and popular reception of Mission: Impossible films :
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
| Mission: Impossible | 66% (66 reviews) | 59 (29 reviews) | B+ |
| Mission: Impossible 2 | 56% (155 reviews) | 59 (40 reviews) | B |
| Mission: Impossible III | 71% (224 reviews) | 66 (42 reviews) | A− |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | 94% (253 reviews) | 73 (47 reviews) | A− |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | 94% (328 reviews) | 75 (46 reviews) | A− |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | 98% (444 reviews) | 87 (60 reviews) | A |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning | 96% (438 reviews) | 81 (66 reviews) | A |
| Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | | | |

## Music

The television version is in a rarely used $^5$ $_4$ time (an unusual time signature with five crotchets to a bar) and is difficult to dance to, as was demonstrated by a memorable segment of American Bandstand in which teenage dancers were caught off-guard by Dick Clark's playing of the Lalo Schifrin single release.
The opening theme music for the first seven films are stylized renditions of Schifrin's original iconic theme, preserving the $^5$ $_4$ rhythm, by Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Joe Kraemer and Lorne Balfe, respectively.
For Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.'s version featured on the first film's motion picture soundtrack, the time signature was changed to standard pop $^4$ $_4$ time to make it more dance-friendly, although the intro is still in $^5$ $_4$ time. The Limp Bizkit song "Take a Look Around" from the soundtrack to the second film was set to a similar $^4$ $_4$ modification of the theme, with an interlude in $^5$ $_4$.