At this point, the world is ready to accept the mission that writer/director Christopher McQuarrie is about to present in the franchise’s upcoming back to back sequels. Starting with this fall’s Mission: Impossible 7, the return of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his IMF teammates will truly be something to talk about. While the fan demands for a trailer are still waiting to be fulfilled, at least we have some amazing cast portraits to look over while we wait.
Much as he’s been known to do throughout the production of Mission: Impossible 7, Christopher McQuarrie has shared another cryptic, but classy photo to his Instagram profile. In the most recent installment of the Mission: Impossible portrait series, we’re given an exciting look at Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, a returning cast member who’s been with the series since Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. As you’ll see below, Ms. Ferguson has adopted the standard IMF pose that says, “I’m about to do something I’m unsure is within agency guidelines.”
Agency guidelines might become even more important than ever in Mission: Impossible 7 and 8, as there’s quite a few new authority figures entering the picture. Part of the most recent round of casting saw actors that look like they’ll be filling such roles joining up with the film. Which leads to the next portrait we’d like to share, as actor Mark Gatiss was shown looking rather cross in his Mission: Impossible set photo.
Obviously we don’t really have details on Mark Gatiss’s character, how he fits into the world of Mission: Impossible 7 or even what he’ll be named. But that photo shows that Gatiss will indeed mean business when it comes to whatever insidious plot needs to be foiled in the sixth sequel to 1996’s Mission Impossible. Our third and final cast portrait is a similarly mysterious, but strict looking figure; and she looks as if she’s in the same room as Mark Gatiss, as well as fellow co-stars Cary Elwes, Charles Parnell and Rob Delaney. Here’s Game of Thrones star Indira Varma, with her portrait in what could be the most serious room in Mission: Impossible history.
Yes, Mission: Impossible 7 looks like it’s going to debut on November 19, with plenty of sacrifice, rule breaking and serious gravitas in its possession. And those portraits above are perfect examples of the sort of stoicism that makes Christopher McQuarrie's entries into this legendary saga exercises in tension that keep fans coming back for more. But knowing the franchise on the whole, there’s obviously going to be unreal stunts and pithy humor flying back and forth between Tom Cruise and his co-stars.
It wouldn’t be a Mission: Impossible movie if there wasn’t an entertaining balance between the intense and the impossible. And we'll get to see the first of this two-part story playing out this November, with the follow-up coming roughly a year after. This message won't self destruct in five seconds, but you probably shouldn't wait too much longer to see what's coming to theaters throughout 2021.
