Once upon a time, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie said that he felt sorry for the next guy that took on the directing duties for the franchise. He said this because he felt the approach of a new director with every outing was beneficial to the longevity of the series. Well, the next guy just might be haunted by those words, as McQuarrie is supposedly in talks to become the director of Mission: Impossible 6.
Sources "close to the situation" have commented that the as of yet untitled, but already in development, sequel may not only be written by the steady hand that brought us The Usual Suspects and Edge Of Tomorrow, but it may also be directed by the man who brought us this summer's blockbuster entry into the Ethan Hunt canon. It must be mentioned that Variety's report also stipulates that reps for Paramount or McQuarrie himself have not commented in either direction on this news, but with that being said – we're kind of excited for this rumor, especially if it should come true.
With previous directors like J.J Abrams, Brad Bird, and Brian De Palma leaving their individual marks on the franchise, which was built on adapting a 1960's television series into a major action series, every outing was self contained and with little consequence to the rest of the series. At least, it was until Mission: Impossible III started the trend of holding over IMF team members outside of Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and Ving Rhames' Luther Stickell. This trend was only strengthened by McQuarrie's decision to flesh out the throwaway mention of The Syndicate at the end of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol into a full blown plot for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. So while this rumor could break major ground for the franchise, it's not as off base as one would assume.
This sits more than well with us, as Christopher McQuarrie is one of the directors that we'd love to see work his magic with the Mission: Impossible universe once more. Even better is the news that Rebecca Ferguson's role of Ilsa Faust could re-appear in Mission: Impossible 6's story, as her contract for Rogue Nation stipulates an option for her participation. Considering how bad ass of a character McQuarrie crafted in Ilsa, we're hoping he's not the only holdover from one of the best entries in the Mission: Impossible series. We're also hoping he learns something from how the last guy that handled the franchise, and tops that A400 stunt that opened the last film's events.
Of course, should McQuarrie return for Mission: Impossible 6, we have to wonder if the story will somehow revert back to the "new mission each movie" format, of if his neo-Hitchcockian sensibilities will return for a new installment of drama between the IMF, The Syndicate, and various world governments. Either approach is welcome at this point, but with the groundbreaking choice to possibly see a previous director returning for another round of international espionage, we're extremely curious to see what a new chapter in the current storyline could provide.
Mission: Impossible 6 will be shooting next summer, with a possible release date being set for a year after that, if all goes according to plan.
