At one point, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 was going to feature a flashback sequence early on that included de-aging Tom Cruise to portray a young Ethan Hunt. But that plan was ultimately put on ice after director Christopher McQuarrie determined it would be too distracting–at least for now.
Speaking with GamesRadar, McQuarrie opened up about a 1989 sequence for Mission: Impossible 7 that “we talked about it as a cold open, we talked about it as flashbacks in the movie, we looked at de-aging.” But apparently that key last part–de-aging–made the filmmaker nix the whole thing.
“One of the big things about [the de-aging] I was looking at while researching, I kept saying, ‘Boy, this de-aging is really good’ or ‘This de-aging is not so good,'” McQuarrie said. “Never did I find myself actually following the story.”
However, that doesn’t mean McQuarrie is writing off the idea for the future of the franchise. In fact, the director–who also helmed Rogue Nation and Fallout in the Mission: Impossible series–believes he may have “cracked the code” on how to actually implement a de-aged Cruise.
Mission: Impossible 7 wouldn’t have been the only big blockbuster this summer to utilize de-aging if the film proceeded with the plan. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens with 25 minutes of de-aged Harrison Ford, as the adventure movie begins with a sequence set in 1944. Speaking of which, Cruise expressed his admiration for Ford earlier this month. Cruise added that he hopes to keep starring in Mission: Impossible movies into his 80s like Ford has done with Indiana Jones.
Premiering earlier this week, Mission: Impossible 7 could have a record-setting start for the franchise at the box office. For more, check out GameSpot’s Mission: Impossible 7 review roundup.
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