The return of Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is one of the many reasons to be excited for this summer action movie to finally debut. A fan-favorite team member who’s appearing in her third entry in the Mission series, Ferguson’s return is just part of the story twists fans are waiting to learn about, as we know very little about what’s taking place in writer/director Christopher McQuarrie’s latest adventure. And apparently, that sentiment is shared by the cast of Mission: Impossible 7, as Rebecca Ferguson recently told me that even they don’t really know the story, and for good reason.
While we sat down to promote her new Apple TV+ series Silo, I asked what Ms. Ferguson was most excited for fans to see in the upcoming Mission: Impossible, and part of her answer revealed an angle into the film's editing process.
While there are still elements that the Dune star could pull out as highlights that excite her, the film is still pretty mysterious to the actor, returning for her third outing in the franchise. With that in mind, here's what Rebecca Ferguson told CinemaBlend about why this new mission is still pretty shadowy, even to her:
We were talking about it, me and Simon Pegg, the other day. We were like, ‘Oh my god. We filmed all these moments, and so many years have passed.’ And we don’t actually know how it’s going to cut together. We don’t really know the story, there’s no real story until they edit it together, because we shoot so many variations.
It’s certainly been a longer-than-anticipated road for Dead Reckoning Part One, which had to shut down production several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Delays pushed the Tom Cruise-led blockbuster’s release date to roughly two years past its intended date.
That’s a lot of time to perfect death-defying motorcycle jumps, which also contributed to the delays that frustrated Cruise from time to time, as well as shooting new takes on scenes that were previously in the can. So to Rebecca Ferguson’s point, the vague nature of Mission: Impossible’s next entry is a pretty valid experience. One that relies on the editing room to clarify and crystalize its singular vision.
It's a feeling that definitely applies to the latest trailer for Mission: Impossible 7. While showing off new action set pieces to get us all going, it's still vague about character names and motivations. As you can see in the footage included below, Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise have left some room for the imagination, while also continuing to captivate the audience’s attention with these sneak peeks:
Even amid all this smoke and mirrors, Rebecca Ferguson is excited for fans to see Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. She's even more excited for the wait to finally be over, and to see what the entire story of the film amounts to. Bringing things back to the initial question of what she was excited for fans to experience, Ferguson enthusiastically seized the moment, and expressed her feelings thusly:
I love that you say what is more exciting for the fans to see. I’m excited to see it! … But what it has [is] phenomenal. We all know that stunts, beyond stunts, beyond stunts. But we have an incredible female crew that we’re adding, with Pom Klementieff, with Hayley Atwell. There’s so many cool, cool characters that are gonna come in. Chris and Tom, once again, they know how to tell a story. It’s phenomenal. It better be phenomenal.
“Mission: Phenomenal” could be a hell of a pull quote if Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One accomplishes its mission. With all of the waiting fans and cast members alike have been doing to see how Ethan Hunt’s potentially most dangerous mission pans out, it’d be a huge reward for all involved. And when Rebecca Ferguson says something “better be phenomenal,” it’s easy to fall in line and support such enthusiasm.
You can show your enthusiasm for Rebecca Ferguson through several methods, starting with obviously seeing Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One in theaters. The film will arrive in cinemas on July 12, and all six movies that precede it are currently available to those with a Paramount+ subscription. In the meantime, you can also see Ms. Ferguson in the Apple TV+ series Silo, which is currently releasing new episodes every Friday.
