- By Steven McIntosh
- entertainment reporter
Tom Cruise continues to take on the role of Ethan Hunt in the hugely successful series
Tom Cruise debuted the seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise at the film’s London premiere on Thursday.
The actor described Dead Reckaming – Part One as “the most important moment” of the series to date.
His co-stars Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby joined him on the red carpet.
Critics’ ratings for the film will be published on July 5, before the film’s release on July 14.
Cruise said the two films marked “the pinnacle of all my skills” and promised even those unfamiliar with the series would have an “epic adventure”.
Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One sees him reprise his role as Ethan Hunt, as the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) sets out in search of a terrifying new weapon that threatens humanity.
Cruise spoke to the press at the film’s premiere in Leicester Square
The film was partly shot in the UK and features conventional death-defying stunts, including Cruise jumping off a cliff on a motorcycle.
Speaking at the film’s premiere in London, he said that since he was a child, he’s always wanted to make films and has devoted himself to taking on new challenges and learning new skills.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve been doing that,” the 60-year-old told the PA news agency.
“When I was three or four years old, I jumped off roofs and climbed trees – I wanted to make movies, I wanted adventure, I wanted to travel the world.
“So that’s what I do, I train – I really enjoy learning different skills, working to become proficient in everything I do.”
He continued: “It was really years of training… because I fly jets, I fly helicopters, I fly planes. I’m a skydiver, I’m a skydiver. parachute, racing cars, motorcycles.
“[This film] is the pinnacle of all my skills…. There’s a lot going on there’s a lot going on… [but] The most important part is making the shot and delivering the story.”
Vanessa Kirby, who also stars in the film, walks the red carpet in London before the premiere
Filming of the film was hampered by the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a recording of Cruise shouting at the production staff for what appeared to be ostentatious instructions leaked in December 2020.
“In 2020, there’s so much going on, it’s a big challenge trying to figure out how to make a movie under those circumstances,” he told PA.
“We wrote a rule book on how to do it and it was a phenomenal experience to get through – it took a little longer to shoot, but I think it made the movie better.”
Each of the Mission: Impossible movies in the franchise to date has earned at least $100 million at the global box office.
The most successful to date is the sixth installment, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which grossed $220 million, even though the first films were released at the turn of the millennium and their box office grosses were not. adjusted for inflation.
Cruise’s other film credits include Oblivion, Vanilla Sky, Collateral, Jerry Maguire, Top Gun and its sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Some more pictures from the launch:
Indira Varma plays the head of an intelligence agency in the movie
Actress Hayley Atwell was kissed by her co-star Rebecca Ferguson as they walked the red carpet
The latest Mission: Impossible movie directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Actor Mark Gatiss plays another agency boss who, like Varma’s character, is a member of the community of intelligence commanders.
Franchise regular Simon Pegg takes selfies with fans
Hayley Atwell to star in Avengers and Doctor Strange movies ahead of latest Mission: Impossible
The premiere was also attended by actress Amanda Abbington (centre), who walked the red carpet with her daughter and son
Other special guests include model Sian Osborne and boxer David Haye
The film was released in UK cinemas on 14 July
