Mission: Impossible 8 - Release Date, Story & Everything We Know About Dead Reckoning Part 2 (2024)

Mission: Impossible 8 will pick up from the dramatic cliffhanger left by Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, and it could be the most dangerous mission of them all. Story details about what was originally titled Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two are still mostly under wraps, and there’s been a lot of speculation about what star Tom Cruise could do to top the incredible feats he's achieved playing IMF agent Ethan Hunt. Since the franchise has already been a rollercoaster of twists, turns, and belief-defying action, expectations for Mission: Impossible 8 are high.

When it arrives in 2025, Mission: Impossible 8 will find Ethan Hunt in a precarious position. Dead Reckoning Part One story saw Ethan and his loyal IMF team chasing after a foe from Ethan's past and a rogue A.I. dubbed "The Entity." Dead Reckoning Part One ends on a cliffhanger with one of Ethan's team dead and a desperate race to find and destroy The Entity before other interested parties can obtain it. The stakes have never been higher for Tom Cruise's super-spy, and the next Mission: Impossible movie is already one of the most eagerly anticipated in the franchise so far.

The Latest Mission: Impossible 8 News

Simon Pegg Wraps Filming

Noted for its lengthy shooting schedule, the latest news comes as a major production update for Mission: Impossible 8 after over 2 years of filming. The news reveals that franchise star Simon Pegg has officially wrapped his scenes for the upcoming action sequel, suggesting that the production is nearing its long-awaited finish line. In a temporary story on his Instagram account, the Benji actor mentioned he had finally finished his scenes for Mission: Impossible 8, and noted the four-year journey that started with Dead Reckoning Part One back in 2020.

Read Pegg's full comments below:

I just wrapped my last day on Mission Impossible and said a farewell to everybody. And we started shooting the first part of this story in September 2020, and here we are in July 2024. What a journey has been. And what a f——ng incredible spectacle this next film is going to be, I'm so excited for you to see it. But until then, Benji Dunn signing off.

Mission: Impossible 8 Release Date

Ethan Hunt Returns In May 2025

The Mission: Impossible 8 release date is May 23, 2025. The premiere was previously set for June 2024 but was pushed back by almost a year by Paramount. This will be 29 years after the release of the original Mission: Impossible, ranking it among the longest-running action franchises ever. Like Dead Reckoning Part One and the preceding two Mission: Impossible movies, Mission: Impossible 8 will be written and directed by Cruise’s long-time collaborator Christopher McQuarrie.

Mission: Impossible 8 Cast

Cruise Returns As Ethan Hunt

The cast of Mission: Impossible 8 includes many returning names from the cast of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One. Tom Cruise is once again returning as international superspy Ethan Hunt. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames will also return as Benji and Luther, respectively, two of Hunt’s closest friends and most trusted advisors. Other returning cast members of Mission: Impossible 8 include Vanessa Kirby as The White Widow, and Esai Morales as the new villain Gabriel, a shadowy figure from Ethan's past.

Despite Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One ending with assassin Paris being badly wounded, Pom Klementieff is confirmed to return for the Mission: Impossible 8 cast. Rolf Saxon will return to the franchise for Mission: Impossible8, reprising his role as CIA analyst William Donloe from the 1996 original. Donloe was last seen being demoted by Henry Czerny's Kittridge — who will also return for M:I 8 — and reassigned to a polar substation in Alaska for the Langley mess.

The entire known cast includes:

Actor	Mission: Impossible 8 Role
Tom Cruise	Ethan Hunt
Simon Pegg	Benji
Ving Rhames	Luther
Vanessa Kirby	The White Widow
Esai Morales	Gabriel
Pom Klementieff	Paris
Rolf Saxon	William Donloe
Henry Czerny	Kittridge
Holt McCallany	Secretary of Defense
Nick Offerman	Sydney
Hannah Waddingham	Unknown

Mission: Impossible 8 Story Details

The Hunt For The Sunken Submarine Continues

Specifics are being kept under wraps, but there are already some hints at what the Mission: Impossible 8 plot will be. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One ends when Ethan manages to recover the key to The Entity's chamber that everyone is seeking. The issue is that this chamber is located inside the wreck of a Russian submarine dubbed the Sevastopol, and while Ethan's mission is to destroy the rogue A.I., many other nations are trying to recover and potentially weaponize it.

Hunt and his team have no idea where the submarine is, so finding the sunken Sevastopol will likely take up part of Mission: Impossible 8's story. The movie formerly titled Dead Reckoning Part Two will have to answer some other lingering mysteries. There's the question of who exactly was Marie (Mariela Garriga) and what her relationship was with Ethan. Gabriel is shown killing Marie right in front of Ethan in a flashback set 30 years prior, which spurred Ethan to join the IMF.

Other unanswered questions the Mission: Impossible 8 story needs to address include where Luther (Ving Rhames) disappeared with the hard drive containing a piece of the villainous A.I., and why exactly is Jasper Briggs' (Shea Whigham) so intent on bringing in Hunt. The fact his surname is the same as Dan Briggs — the founder and first leader of the IMF team in the original Mission: Impossible TV series — could be a clue in itself.

Mission: Impossible 8

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Crime

Mission: Impossible 8 is the direct sequel to Dead Reckoning - Part One and is the eighth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Said to be the final film, Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and more will reprise their roles in Ethan Hunt's IMF team as they face off against a dangerous foe from their past.

Director

Christopher McQuarrie

Release Date

May 23, 2025

Studio(s)

Paramount Pictures , Skydance

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Writers

Christopher McQuarrie , Erik Jendresen

Cast

Tom Cruise , Pom Klementieff , Rebecca Ferguson , Vanessa Kirby , Hayley Atwell , Hannah Waddingham , Simon Pegg

Franchise(s)

Mission: Impossible

prequel(s)

Mission: Impossible , Mission: Impossible 2 , Mission: Impossible III , Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation , Mission: Impossible - Fallout , Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning