Is Ethan Hunt Coming Back? Tom Cruise Hints at ‘Mission: Impossible’ Future

Tom Cruise has been playing Ethan Hunt in the “Mission Impossible” franchise for over three decades and he gave a clue that he might be done.

When asked by ET if “The Final Reckoning” was his last “Mission Impossible” movie, Cruise answered, “Well, they don’t call it ‘Final’ for nothing.”

He went on to say that he’s working on other projects but shared, “I have so much love for this. My cast, my crew. For me, it’s never ‘Good-bye.’ It’s, ‘I’ll see you again.'”

Cruise seems to be already looking ahead and told ET, “This is the ‘Final Reckoning,’ and there’s so many films that now we’re working on.”

Back in February, the “Final Reckoning” director, Christopher McQuarrie, told Empire, “It is, I hope, the satisfying conclusion to a 30-year story arc. I’m pretty confident that people are going to feel that the title was appropriate.”

Cruise Wants to Continue Making Hits With McQuarrie

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“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” may be the last movie of the franchise, but Cruise isn’t done collaborating with the films director, McQuarrie.

“It went beyond our expectations. It’s been a real privilege and a pleasure. I look forward to making a bunch of other kinds of movies with you. I can’t wait,” Cruise told McQuarrie during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The “Interview with the Vampire” star then told the audience, “We just want to thank you all. Thank you so much for everything, for allowing us to entertain you. It’s very special.”

Cruise Brought McQuarrie Back to Hollywood

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McQuarrie was ready to give up on directing until he started working with Cruise. “I was truly on my way out the door,” he revealed, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“When you’re making a Tom Cruise movie, it’s not Tom Cruise going, ‘Here’s how you do it.’ It’s Tom Cruise empowering you and saying, ‘What do you want to do with that spotlight the first time it’s turned on you?’ It’s incredibly intense and incredibly clarifying,” McQuarried said.

According to Cruise, the admiration was mutual. “I’ve studied his career before we met. He’s got a perspective on [Mission: Impossible] that was very unique,” he said during the presentation.

On the future of “Mission Impossible,” Cruise said, per Variety, “I’d rather just people see it and enjoy and we’ve had an amazing time doing it and it’s been a lot of fun and I just want you all to enjoy it. Enjoy this and know everything is the culmination has come to this moment right now.”