Writer and director Christopher McQuarrie has offered further insight into the meaning behind the upcoming Mission: Impossible 7’s (rather lengthy) title, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Speaking with Empire, McQuarrie revealed where the admittedly excellent-sounding phrase “Dead Reckoning” came from, and what it means for Ethan Hunt and his crew.
So, Ethan will face the ghosts of his past in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, with the phrase “Dead Reckoning” (seriously, it sounds like it was made for an action movie) suggesting that the intrepid IMF Agent will once again be making world-saving plans on the fly.
“There are many things emerging from Ethan’s past. ‘Dead reckoning’ is a navigational term. It means you’re picking a course based solely on your last known position and that becomes quite the metaphor not only for Ethan, but several characters.”
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Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Parts One and Two are expected to bring Ethan Hunt’s journey to an end, with reports even claiming that Part One will end on a cliffhanger. Whether or not that is the case, McQuarrie is planning to craft an epic action outing — one that will leave the rest of the franchise in the dust.
While the plot details for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One remain a closely guarded secret, the action is what these movies are all about. And in that regard, it certainly sounds like Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will raise the stakes as Ethan Hunt shoots, punches, sits atop trains, drives really fast, and yes, runs and runs and runs all in the name of national security.
“The first thing we knew was that if it’s gonna be a big two-part adventure, it’s got to be epic. It’s going to have to be the instalment that swallows the rest of the franchise whole. There’s just not another way to do it.”
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Brings Back Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge
Paramount Pictures
One such ghost from Ethan Hunt’s past is Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge. The former director of the IMF last seen in the first Mission: Impossible way, way back in 1996, Kittridge is expected to play a major role in proceedings, with he and Hunt facing off several times in the footage released so far as the sleazy figure challenges Ethan’s beliefs once again. Frankly, it’s incredible he still believes in anything at this stage.
Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One reunites the likes of Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, while bringing in some new blood in the form of Frederick Schmidt, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales, Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell, Indira Varma, Mark Gatiss, Cary Elwes, and Holt McCallany.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is scheduled for release in the United States on July 14, 2023, by Paramount Pictures. The final sequel, Dead Reckoning Part Two, is scheduled to be released on June 28, 2024.
