As production continues on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, Deadline brings word that Mindhunter star Holt McCallany has been tapped to join Tom Cruise in the eighth and final installment of the blockbuster spy action franchise. McCallany is set to portray the character of Secretary of Defense Anthony. This marks the second collaboration between Cruise and McCallany after starring together in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
McCallany is best known for his role as Bill Tench in Netflix’s crime drama series Mindhunter. His film credits include appearances in Fight Club, The Losers, Gangster Squad, Sully Blackhat, and Nightmare Alley.
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Joining Cruise and Hayley Atwell in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning are returning franchise alums Rebecca Ferguson (Doctor Sleep), Simon Pegg (Ready Player One), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction), Vanessa Kirby (Hobbs & Shaw), and Henry Czerny (Ready or Not) along with newcomers Shea Whigham (Joker), Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Avengers: Infinity War) and Esai Morales (La Bamba, Titans) who will replace Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) for the villain role.
Following the large critical and commercial success of the past two films, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie inked a deal with the studio to return to write and direct the next two installments.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Part Two will be released on July 14, 2023, and June 28, 2024, respectively.
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The Mission: Impossible franchise spans almost 25 years and six films, starting off with modest critical and major box office success in the first two films before launching its lead protagonist into grittier and more explosive stories, each film getting progressively better reviews than its predecessor, with the most recent installment, Fallout, earning the highest reviews for both the franchise and the action genre, currently maintaining a 97% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes while also acquiring the highest box office gross of the franchise at over $790 million worldwide.