Simon Pegg has breathed that the stunts performed by Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning are just breathtaking. The 55-year-old star will reprise his role as I.M.F. technician Benji Dunn alongside Cruise’s iconic agent Ethan Hunt in this new action installment. Pegg guarantees that audiences will be left gasping from his co-star’s death-defying tricks.
During paneling at AwesomeCon, Pegg commented on the film that he could not wait to make it, stating, “This was my favorite of the six Missions that I’ve made. We were shooting in really incredible locations like the Arctic and South Africa. The stunts Tom’s doing are just absolutely unbelievable—beyond outrageous.”.
The star of Hot Fuzz added that Cruise, who is 62 now, works on these dangerous stunts with a keen intensity and care. “People ask whether he’s mad or not, but he’s not mad. He’s extremely careful and rehearses for hours and hours. He really cares about making a memorable film experience, even if it costs him his life over and over again. It’s motivating to watch,” Pegg said.
Looking ahead to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which will open in the next month, Pegg praised director Christopher McQuarrie for creating an intriguing narrative path for Ethan Hunt. He previewed that this one would “be a remarkable journey,” stringing together bits and pieces of all eight movies into a cohesive package.
“By this film, the entire series is neatly wrapped up. McQuarrie has written a tale that rewards loyal fans. For anyone watching all the Mission: Impossible films—and if you haven’t, you need to—there are strands that neatly bring everything together. It’s going to be an exciting experience,” he added.
The sequel, featuring a seasoned cast including Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Pom Klementieff, Hannah Waddingham, and Esai Morales, continues the story of 2023’s Dead Reckoning. It follows the story of Ethan Hunt and his team as they are forced to run against time to stop a powerful artificial intelligence by the name of The Entity from engulfing the whole world in suffering.
While Mission: Impossible is most famous for its stunning action sequences, Pegg believes that the series’ success lies in McQuarrie’s emphasis on building characters. He explained, “McQuarrie and Tom care more about character than anything else, more than the blockbuster set pieces.”
“Benji is a very skilled technician who gets better with every mission, but he can never be Ethan. They’re each unique, which makes their team stronger. Under McQuarrie’s masterful tutelage, the movies focus on teamwork. Without Ethan Hunt, the mission would likely be Mission: Furious Typing,” he joked.
