We Still Don't Know Whether 'The Final Reckoning' Is the End for Ethan Hunt

Superstar Tom Cruise has been doing insane things for Mission: Impossible movies for nearly 30 years. He first played Ethan Hunt in 1996, and in 2025, we're waiting on The Final Reckoning. This movie, which is the eighth installment in the franchise, is being marketed as something of a culmination for the franchise as a whole.

Given the word "final" in the title and the way the movie is being marketed, many are naturally wondering whether The Final Reckoning will be the end for this franchise. Here's what we know.

Although there are certainly plenty of signs that suggest this could be the final installment, Tom Cruise and Christoper McQuarrie (the writer and director) are not telling us anything just yet.

“You gotta see the movie,” Tom told Empire. “It’s a hard thing for me to discuss at the moment because it really is something that you have to experience.” He added, though, that it was “an epic, emotional journey of the entire franchise."

Christopher was just as hesitant but said that this movie definitely felt like the end of something.

“It is, I hope, the satisfying conclusion to a 30-year story arc,” he said. “I’m pretty confident that people are going to feel that the title was appropriate.”

Given that Tom is now in his sixties and is still dedicated to doing truly insane things in every installment, it seems like at some point, he'll have to stop.

While they might not be directly confirming it, probably in part because they want people to actually see the movie, it seems like there's a decent chance that this is our last ride with Ethan Hunt.

The trailer that debuted in early April gives us flashes to previous Mission: Impossible movies, and while we don't know a ton about the plot of this installment, it seems like it might feature some retread of previous films.

Although this is not a definitive signal of the movie's finality, news also broke in early April that The Final Reckoning would be making its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, which is certainly a prestigious way to launch the eighth installment in a franchise.

The film will premiere out of competition on May 14, and the release from the festival does offer us some indication of the nature of this installment.

“In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, who he has portrayed since the beginning of the franchise in 1996, and his IMF team ask you to trust them one last time,” the Cannes press release states. “After almost three decades of thrills, stunts, and intrigue, ‘The Final Reckoning’ delivers an unforgettable cinematic experience.”

"One last time" certainly suggests that this might be coming to an end. Hopefully, when we actually get to see the finished film, all the hype about this installment will leave us satisfied that the past 30 years of dangerous stunts were all worth it.