Summary
Rumors that Tom Cruise attempts an unheard-of stunt inMission: Impossible–The Final Reckoningare looking more true than ever with the most recent trailer and some unique evidence.The Final Reckoninglooks to potentially bring theMission: Impossiblefranchise to a close, picking up after the events of 2023’sMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, which saw the IMF taking on an AI enemy known as The Entity. Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, and he’s joined by Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Nick Offerman, and Hannah Waddingham.
WhileMission: Impossible–The Final Reckoning’splot remains vague, the movie will continue its pursuit of The Entity. The film’s marketing campaign is leaning into the action and stunts that both the franchise and Cruise have become known for. The trailer sees Cruise jumping off an aircraft carrier, plunging into icy waters, and dangling off planes in death-defying stunts. However, the trailer also has sufficient evidence to point towardsCruise pulling off one incredible stuntthat the movie may still be keeping under wraps.
The Final ReckoningTrailer Hints At Tom Cruise’s Most Intense Stunt Yet
TheMission: Impossible–The Final Reckoningtrailer is rife with tantalizing moments to enrapture potential audiences. While it packs what one would expect from Cruise’s stunt-filled flagship action series, he is front and center, along with a team of capable friends and agents to aid in the tasks at hand. Much of the trailer’s runtime is dedicated to recognizable faces and jaw-dropping moments. However, numerous moments show Cruise performing underwater stunts, many of which involve a submarine.
Dead Reckoning Part Onefeatured a Russian stealth submarine sunk by The Entity, which is revealed as aUnited States AI program gone rogue. Since the film’s 2023 releaserumors have swirled that Tom Cruise may perform a stunt that sees him get shot out of a torpedo tube on a submarine.
As the trailer shows, Cruise is spending a significant amount of time underwater, much of which is inside a submarine. The sub looks to be falling off an underwater cliff, with Cruise’s Ethan trapped inside as it fills with water. The trailer even features a shot of a torpedo falling into a water-filled compartment within the submarine. This hints that the torpedo room is a location Cruise will have to contend with. And what better way to get free than a quick shot out of the torpedo tube?
Australian News Media Adds Potential Evidence, Showing The Torpedo Tube
Cruise and the team behindtheMission: Impossiblefilmsare generally upfront about teasing their big stunts, like showing Ethan scaling the Burj Khalifa inGhost Protocolor jumping a motorcycle off a cliff inDead Reckoning Part One.However, they often keep several thrills for the awe of discovery on the big screen. As withMission: Impossible–Fallout, which teased Cruise dangling from a helicopter, it ultimately proved to be a mere morsel of how long and dangerous the scene was. This may very well be the case with Cruise’s torpedo launch stunt, if it is in the film. The lengthy underwater shots might hint at the larger stunt that audiences won’t see until they are in theaters.
Luckily, the Australian morning news programSunriseshared a video on TikTok that sheds some more light on the possible torpedo stunt. The video sees reporter Ash Mullany delving into the stunts ofThe Final Reckoning. She first stands behind a large fan, simulating the air hitting Cruise while performing his plane stunts, until about 10 seconds in. The video then cuts to shots fromFinal Reckoning, seeing the torpedo splash down into the water and Ethan masking up as water envelops him on the submarine.
At the 18-second mark, the video provides one of the best pieces of evidence yet, asMullany states, “This is the torpedo tube where Tom was filming.“She proceeds to show the tube, statinghe was “being blasted with water, and he was lying inside here,“before climbing into the tube herself, with the crew closing it over top of her. Check out Sunrise’s video below:
Mission: Impossible–The Final ReckoningIs Pushing Stunt Action To Its Limits
All the evidence is there topoint to Cruise getting shotout of a torpedo tube on a sub. Knowing the actor’s demands for practicality as much as possible, it would be done with as little CGI as possible. That ultimately means that ifThe Final Reckoningdoes end up featuring the stunt, Cruise would likely have found a way to practically turn into a human torpedo. However, he wouldn’t be the first super spy to pull off such a feat. James Bond was shot out of a torpedo tube inThe World Is Not Enough, only to swim around the outside to another part of the submarine, where he reenters. Still, Cruise would likely be the first actor to do the stunt himself.
Even if Cruise isn’t launched through the water like a meat torpedo,The Final Reckoningis potentially setting itself up to end the franchise with a bang. The biplane stunt sequence that permeates the marketing campaign looks to be a rather lengthy one. And the actor is clearly spending plenty of time performing aquatic stunts, including a scene that sees him submerged under ice. With each awe-inspiring moment done as practically as possible, the series is setting up a sequel that could be the most bombastic yet, leaving nothing on the table if this turns out to be the end. Furthermore, it is set to be the longest entry in the franchise, with a runtime of 2 hours and 49 minutes.Mission: Impossible–The Final Reckoningpromisessome of the best stunts ever put to film, and if the evidence proves true, Cruise will be performing an unheard-of stunt when he is launched out of a torpedo tube.
