Are These Tom’s Last M:I Movies?

Tom Cruise has dropped the news that two Mission: Impossible films are in development to be released back to back in 2021 and 2022.

Cruise revealed the details of the upcoming projects on his Twitter account, he posted a video showing the franchise’s logo with fuses burning down at either side.

Cruise wrote the caption:

Christopher McQuarrie will join Cruise and direct both films, having both previously worked on 2015’s Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation and last year’s Mission: Impossible Fallout.

Director Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise on the set of Fallout

McQuarrie, who is also working with Cruise on the upcoming Top Gun sequel, tweeted to confirm his involvement:

Fallout was a commercial hit grossing $791 million internationally and $1.1 billion worldwide, a record for the franchise and Cruise.

Cruise, 56, performs all his own stunts in the films and broke his ankle while filming scenes for Fallout.

He will be 60 years old when the eighth film in the series is released, and the film no doubt will pose physical limits for the man.

The Top Gun actor hinted he was up for more action last July when he said:

“I have a lot of ideas about the next phase, about the next two or three, of where I want to go. I’m not ready to discuss it now, but you’ll be able to see when you see this movie. It’s very much the epic in all of this series.”

With the stunts only getting bigger, McQuarrie hinted that Ethan Hunt could be headed into orbit for some truly gravity-defining drama:

“We’ve earned it with this franchise to blow it out this way.”

If these are Cruise’s final M:I movies, the franchise will continue right? Who would he pass the baton on to?