Mission: Impossible has been synonymous with Tom Cruise, so would you believe when we say that Paramount was trying to replace Tom Cruise? That’s right, according to Simon Pegg (via Literally), execs were exploring a future without Cruise at the Center, and had their eyes on Jeremy Renner, the rising Marvel star whom they trusted to take over the franchise.
At the time, Renner was praised for The Hurt Locker and was positioned as the next-gen leading man in Hollywood. But why did Paramount decide to replace its most valuable star, and how did Cruise end up protecting his role in the saga? Let’s find out!
Why Paramount Wanted to Replace Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible
Paramount’s hesitation to cast Tom Cruise in the late 2000s didn’t come out of nowhere because while he was a major box office draw, his public image took repeated hits. The infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey, where he kept jumping up and down on the couch, declaring his love was all over the tabloids, and people couldn’t believe the way he reacted (via Daily Mail).
On the Today Show, he spoke against psychiatry, and these actions unsettled studio executives. So in the early drafts of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Ethan Hunt was said to suffer a leg injury that would end his days as a field agent, taking on an administrative role in the IMF.
That made way for Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt to take over and become the new action lead. They were planning to strip Cruise’s character from the very qualities that defined Mission: Impossible, and his character would still be present but no longer central to the narrative.
How Tom Cruise Held on to the Multi-Billion Dollar Spy Franchise
Tom Cruise as Pete Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick (2022) | Credits: Paramount Pictures
Replacing Tom Cruise made sense from a business perspective because aging stars usually pass on the torch to a younger generation. But the actor was never interested in tradition, so he took matters into his own hands, and per Simon Pegg (via Literally), Cruise flew from Vancouver to Los Angeles, and cornered chairman Brad Grey at a party, where he shut down the replacement strategy in person.
Here’s an overview of all the Mission: Impossible features:
TitleDirectorIMDb RatingRotten Tomatoes(critic score)Worldwide Box Office(via The Numbers)Mission: Impossible (1996) Brian De Palma7.2/1067%$457.6 MMission: Impossible II (2000) John Woo6.1/1058%$549.5 MMission: Impossible III (2006)J.J. Abrams6.9/1073%$399.3 MMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) Brad Bird7.4/1093%$694.7 MMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) Christopher McQuarrie7.4/1094%$688.8 MMission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) Christopher McQuarrie7.7/1098%$786.2 MMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)Christopher McQuarrie7.6/1096%$565.3 MMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)Christopher McQuarrie7.2/1080%$591.3 M
He brought in Christopher McQuairre, a writer he could trust, and Ghost Protocol was rewritten to make Ethan the active and unstoppable field agent he is. The movie was a massive blockbuster, and Cruise carried the saga until its very end! So, what are your thoughts on Paramount’s decision to replace Tom Cruise?
All Mission: Impossible movies are streaming on Paramount+ (USA).
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