After Tom Cruise’s Maverick makes his long-awaited return in this summer's Top Gun: Maverick, fans still will have two more action-packed movies during the sunny blockbuster season to see the stunt-extraordinaire through to 2022, thanks to Mission: Impossible 7 and 8. Christopher McQuarrie is back to write and direct more installments for the franchise along with Rebecca Ferguson, and now… the White Widow herself, Vanessa Kirby.
The badass British actress made her debut in Mission: Impossible - Fallout back in 2018, and she has confirmed she’ll be back for the coming films. In an interview with Glamour, the White Widow actress expressed excitement over starting firearms training for the action film after recently wrapping an intense drama with Shia LaBoeuf called Pieces of a Woman.
Christopher McQuarrie has certainly been stacking his next Mission: Impossible outings to the brim with impressive talent over the past few months, and the return of Vanessa Kirby is no exception. Following Fallout, the actress recently turned heads for playing Jason Statham’s sister Hattie in Hobbs & Shaw. And, of course, she’s played Princess Margaret in Netflix’s The Crown.
During the Hobbs & Shaw junket over the summer, CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes asked Vanessa Kirby if she’d be coming back for more Mission: Impossible movies, and she didn’t know. She was planning to have dinner with Christopher McQuarrie, but she half joked that she wasn’t sure if the franchise would want her back. Her meeting must have gone well because she’s about to go through some major training ahead of the seventh and eighth films, shooting back to back.
Vanessa Kirby told the magazine that her work on Pieces of a Woman had her going to “dark places for 10 hours a day” and she’s “looking forward” to paying attention to her physical health as she gets ready to reprise her Mission: Impossible role. The drama follows a couple as they lose their child during pregnancy. Kirby often had to wear a fake tummy during her days on set.
Along with Vanessa Kirby, Nicholas Hoult has joined the cast to “raise a little hell,” according to Christopher McQuarrie – odds are he’ll be playing a villain. The MCU’s Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff have also joined the cast after being known for playing Peggy Carter and Mantis, respectively. Shea Whigham, who has recently been in Joker and Agent Carter as well, will star in the next Mission: Impossible movies. Oh, and a key character from the 1996 original is returning too.
The character of Alanna Mitsopolis a.k.a. White Widow, was a fantastic addition to the Mission: Impossible lore, and we’ll have to stay tuned to see what her role will be in 7 & 8 hitting theaters on July 23, 2021 and August 5, 2022.
