Henry Cavill will be joining Tom Cruise for "Mission: Impossible 6," and writer Christopher McQuarrie will return as a writer. Not quite as popular as the "Fast & Furious" franchise, "Mission: Impossible" has mostly tried to go for the cerebral twist. It started in 1996 when legendary director Brian DePalma decided to take the Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, and Barbara Bain classic TV series to the big screen. It was billed as an action film, but it was the kind of movie where you had to pay attention to every detail to really understand what was happening.
Foreshadowing most later sequels, Tom Cruise played the role of Ethan Hunt, who by extenuating circumstance ended up on the "disavowed" list. His mission, as he chose to accept it via a rogue contact known only as Max, was to retrieve a list of people still working for MI-6 and deliver it to Max, with several complications along the way. It was a brilliant take on the whole idea, turning nostalgia on its head.
The sequels was dumbed down a bit
The two sequels following the 1996 film had been more action-heavy, even to the point of "M:I-2" being directed by John "twin pistols" Woo. Storywise, it was the weakest of the bunch. The third film starred an actress whose resemblance to Katie Holmes may have been entirely coincidental as Hunt's newlywed wife became the target of a villain brilliantly portrayed by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
By the fourth, we'd finally started seeing the films focusing more on outrageous stunts and a complex story, and Tom Cruise had begun playing his role with more seriousness, taking the star-struck Benji (Simon Pegg) under his proverbial wing.
Now 'Mission: Impossible' appears to be attracting bigger names
Where John Voight and Philip Seymour Hoffman had been among the highlights of previous films, we're starting to see the recurring appearances of "Avengers" actor Jeremy Renner and "Star Trek" actor Simon Pegg.
Now adding to this roster is "Man of Steel" actor Henry Cavill, meaning that the franchise may finally be getting more serious attention.
The return of writer Christopher McQuarrie was revealed in a recent photo featuring himself, Tom, and Henry in Paris. He helped mix action and brains for what is now two films in the franchise, means we could be in for another complicated "mission" to rival James Bond.
Whether or not it will involve Tom Cruise riding another motorcycle, running toward the camera, or involving himself in another wire stunt is unknown at this point.
Are you excited to see the next part of Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible"?
