Back in the ancient year of 1996 (you kids can ask your grandparents about it) Tom Cruise starred as Ethan Hunt in an action movie based on an old TV show called ‘Mission: Impossible.’ One of Hunt’s adversaries in the film was Kittridge, who was played by Henry Czerny. Now, he will be returning to the franchise, according to writer-director Christopher McQuarrie.
The ‘Sharp Objects’ and ‘Ready or Not’ actor was confirmed via McQuarrie’s Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/chrismcquarrie/status/1223637341224476674?s=19
Kittridge was the director of the Impossible Mission Force in the first film, who hunted Ethan Hunt after it was beliet had gone bad.
While McQuarrie is teasing the return of the character, there is a possibility that he is teasing a further connection. There could be a son or daughter of the original character thrown in the mix to torment Hunt. With Nicolas Hoult confirmed to be in the film – and teased to be a villain, it is possible there is a Kittridge connection there. It would be foolish to rule anything out.
The first five chapters of the film series had little to no connectivity other than Cruise, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames reprising their roles in various chapters. In the sixth installment, ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout,’ there were tributes to each of the films that came before it, including the daughter of a character from the first film.
With McQuarrie teasing Kittridge, it seems he is continuing the trend of referencing past movies, especially with his quote on the tweet:
“There is no escaping the past…”
It is unclear whether the untitled eighth ‘Mission: Impossible’ film will be the final installment of the franchise, but to bring the franchise full circle like this, could very well lend itself to it ending. Of course Cruise could just be getting started, and people will laugh at this when ‘Mission: Impossible 37’ happens in 2062.
With both 7 and 8 set to be filmed back to back, and with all of the spectacular casting news out, audiences are in for quite a treat. Along with returning leads Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson, previously announced newcomers include ‘Agent Carter’ stars Hayley Atwell and Shea Whigham, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ actor Pom Klementieff, and ‘X-Men’ alum Nicholas Hoult. While there hasn’t been any confirmation, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames seem like shoe-ins to return as well.
McQuarrie and Cruise work well together, and this franchise suits both of their talents well. Bringing Czerny back as Kittridge is a deep cut, and an absolute stroke of genius. It will be interesting to see how everything plays out.
‘Mission: Impossible 7’ will hit theaters July 23, 2021.
‘Mission: Impossible 8’ will hit theaters August 5, 2022.
Source: Christopher McQuarrie