History of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in Timeline

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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025), directed by Christopher McQuarrie, is the eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series and a direct sequel to Dead Reckoning Part One. Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt for his final portrayal, leading the IMF team to stop the Entity, a rogue AI, from destroying humanity. The film features an ensemble cast including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett. Hunt and his team face a race against time to prevent global catastrophe caused by uncontrolled artificial intelligence.

1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark Release

In 1981, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released.

2018: Mission: Impossible – Fallout Release

In 2018, Lorne Balfe did the score for Mission: Impossible – Fallout, another film in the series.

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January 14, 2019: Tom Cruise announces films 7 and 8

On January 14, 2019, Tom Cruise announced that the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible films would be shot back to back with Christopher McQuarrie writing and directing.

January 2019: Seventh and Eighth films to be shot back-to-back

In January 2019, Tom Cruise announced that the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible films would be shot back to back, with Christopher McQuarrie co-writing and directing both films.

September 2019: Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff Join Cast

In September 2019, Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff joined the cast of the eighth Mission: Impossible installment.

January 2020: Nicholas Hoult and Henry Czerny join cast

By January 2020, Nicholas Hoult and Henry Czerny had joined the cast. Czerny reprised his role as Eugene Kittridge.

May 2020: Lorne Balfe to compose the film's score

In May 2020, Lorne Balfe was originally announced to be composing the film's score.

February 2021: Plans for back-to-back filming scrapped

In February 2021, Paramount decided to no longer move forward with plans to shoot the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible films back to back.

February 2021: Film no longer shot back to back

In February 2021, it was reported that the film would no longer be filmed back to back with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and McQuarrie was rewriting the script.

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February 2021: Plans for eighth film changed

In February 2021, plans for the eighth Mission: Impossible film changed.

July 23, 2021: Initial release date for 7th film

July 23, 2021, was the initial release date planned for the seventh Mission: Impossible film.

March 2022: Principal photography began

In March 2022, principal photography began for the eighth Mission: Impossible film.

March 23, 2022: Principal photography begins

On March 23, 2022, principal photography began for Mission: Impossible 8 in the UK, including Longcross Studios and the Lake District, as well as Malta, South Africa, and Norway.

July 2022: Holt McCallany joins the cast

In July 2022, it was reported that Holt McCallany had joined the cast of the film.

August 5, 2022: Initial release date for 8th film

August 5, 2022, was the initial release date planned for the eighth Mission: Impossible film.

August 5, 2022: Previous Release Date

August 5, 2022, was a previous release date planned for the film, but was delayed in response to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

November 4, 2022: Previous Release Date

November 4, 2022, was a previous release date planned for the film, but was delayed in response to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

December 2022: Filming in UK finished

In December 2022, filming in the UK was finished, and the crew moved to Apulia in Italy to continue filming aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.

2022: Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick

In 2022, Glen Powell co-starred with Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick.

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March 2023: Hannah Waddingham, Lucy Tulugarjuk and Rolf Saxon join cast

In March 2023, Christopher McQuarrie announced Hannah Waddingham, Lucy Tulugarjuk and Rolf Saxon joined the cast.

June 2023: Future Installments Possible

In June 2023, McQuarrie suggested that Dead Reckoning and The Final Reckoning would not necessarily end the series, and they were developing ideas for future installments.

June 2023: Production Status Clarified

In June 2023, an interview with Christopher McQuarrie clarified that production delays were due to promotion for Part One, not the Writers Guild strike.

July 7, 2023: Previous Release Date

July 7, 2023, was a previous release date planned for the film, but was delayed in response to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

July 2023: Cruise Expresses Interest in Reprising Role

In July 2023, during promotion for Dead Reckoning, Cruise expressed interest in reprising his role as Ethan Hunt in future films.

July 2023: Production halted due to SAG-AFTRA strike

In July 2023, production of the eighth Mission: Impossible film was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

October 2023: Subtitle dropped

In October 2023, the film, originally titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, dropped its subtitle.

October 2023: Dead Reckoning Part Two subtitle removed

In October 2023, the subtitle Dead Reckoning Part Two was removed from the film's title.

2023: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Release

In 2023, Lorne Balfe did the score for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, another film in the series.

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March 2024: Production resumed

In March 2024, filming for the eighth Mission: Impossible film resumed after being suspended in July of 2023.

April 2024: Katy O'Brian and Tramell Tillman Join Cast

In April 2024, Katy O'Brian and Tramell Tillman joined the cast in then-undisclosed roles for the eighth Mission: Impossible installment.

June 28, 2024: Previous Release Date

June 28, 2024, was a previous release date planned for the film, but was delayed in response to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

July 2024: Simon Pegg finishes filming

In July 2024, Simon Pegg revealed filming had concluded for his part.

November 12, 2024: Cruise sought to cast Glen Powell as new lead

On November 12, 2024, it was reported that Cruise sought to cast Glen Powell to replace him as the new lead for potential future Mission Impossible films.

November 2024: Production concluded, nearing $400 million

By November 2024, production had concluded and the film was in post-production, with the budget nearing $400 million.

November 2024: Angela Bassett to Reprise Role

In November 2024, it was revealed that Angela Bassett would reprise her role as CIA Director Erika Sloane in the film.

November 2024: New subtitle announced, production concluded

In November 2024, the new subtitle for the eighth Mission: Impossible film was announced as The Final Reckoning, and production concluded.

November 2024: Subtitle confirmed as 'The Final Reckoning'

In November 2024, the new subtitle for the film was confirmed as The Final Reckoning.

April 2025: Aruj and Godfrey replace Balfe as composers

In April 2025, it was announced that Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey would replace Lorne Balfe as composers for the film.

May 5, 2025: World premiere in Tokyo

On May 5, 2025, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning had its world premiere in Tokyo.

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May 14, 2025: Screened at Cannes Film Festival

On May 14, 2025, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was screened at the Cannes Film Festival prior to its scheduled theatrical release on May 23 by Paramount Pictures.

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May 2025: Cruise Confirms Film as Final Installment

In May 2025, during the New York premiere for The Final Reckoning, Cruise confirmed that the film would be his final film (playing Ethan Hunt) in the series.

May 17, 2025: International Theatrical Release

On May 17, 2025, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was released theatrically in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, India and South Korea.

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May 23, 2025: Soundtrack Album Release

On May 23, 2025, the full album for The Final Reckoning was released. Cecile Tournesac was credited as the supervising music editor and score producer.

June 5, 2025: Tom Cruise sets Guinness World Record

On June 5, 2025, Tom Cruise set a Guinness World Record for most burning parachute jumps while filming one of the film's final stunts.

July 25, 2025: Worldwide Gross

As of July 25, 2025, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has grossed $196.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $393 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $589.2 million.

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2025: International Opening Weekend

In 2025, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opened in 64 markets alongside the United States, earning $127 million on its opening weekend.

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2025: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Release

In 2025, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was released. The American action spy film was directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who co-wrote the screenplay with Erik Jendresen, and is the eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series.

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