Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible’ Director Talks About ‘Chaos’ On Set

Tom Cruise’s latest endeavor, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, was not without its own fair share of troubles as the production of the movie faced a series of setbacks. Christopher McQuarrie, the writer and director of the movie, shared with EW that the initial obstacle surfaced when the production was scheduled to commence in Italy in February 2020.

However, the timing was wrong, as the world was on lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We were in Venice, Italy, two days away from shooting in February 2020,” McQuarrie told the news outlet. “We were at ground zero for the pandemic.”

Christopher McQuarrie reveals that he was confident about completing the production

McQuarrie also disclosed that even after overcoming the initial hurdle, they faced another issue while shooting in various locations worldwide, such as England, Dubai, and Norway. Nicholas Hoult was originally cast to play the villain in the movie, but due to his commitments to his Hulu series, The Great, he had to withdraw from the project. Consequently, Esai Morales took over the role.

RELATED: Filming In One Location Has Been Mission Impossible For Tom Cruise

However, the director stated that despite the various challenges faced during production, he never for once lost faith in completing the film, especially with Tom Cruise still involved in the project. “When you’re making a movie with Tom, that’s not really a factor,” McQuarrie told the outlet. “And on these movies, we like to say, ‘Disaster is an opportunity to excel.’ We lean into the chaos. We don’t invite it, but we accept it as part of the process.”

Christopher McQuarrie reveals that the production crew is prepping for ‘Mission Impossible 8’

McQuarrie has a history with the Mission: Impossible franchise and actor Tom Cruise, having directed the previous two installments, the 2015 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and the 2018 Mission: Impossible – Fallout. He also co-wrote the script for Tom Cruise’s record-breaking movie Top Gun: Maverick, which earned an Oscar nomination last year.

However, the director hinted during his chat with EW that he was already making plans for the production of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, which he projects will hit the theaters on June 28, 2024. “This has been the most unbelievable adventure and the most unbelievable continuum between, in some state or another, working on ‘Top Gun,’ ‘Mission 7,’ and ‘Mission 8,’ all simultaneously,” McQuarrie told the news outlet. “‘Top Gun’ is now behind us, and we’re in a place where ‘Mission 7’ is almost out in theaters, and it’s so surreal to think that, in July, I will be working [on] one movie at a time. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself!”

McQuarrie also discussed the movie’s action-packed sequences and the extreme stunts performed by the actors and especially Tom Cruise’s willingness to undertake risky stunts such as riding a motorcycle off a cliff and base jumping into a ravine all by himself. The filmmaker commented that such feats were nothing out of the ordinary for the actor. “It’s par for the course,” McQuarrie said. “It’s what you learn to accept. It’s what keeps the lights on.”