Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham Accepts Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two

"Ted Lasso" may or may not be ending with its third season, but star Hannah Waddingham isn't going anywhere. The Emmy-winning actor who plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton in the hit Apple TV+ series is headed to the big screen in a big way, as writer-director Christopher McQuarrie seems to have just revealed via Instagram that she'll be appearing in "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two."

While details about Waddingham's character aren't currently available, McQuarrie posted a first look at the actor in the Tom Cruise-led film, along with the hashtags "#Godspeed" and "#DeadReckoning." Variety has since reported that the casting is for the second part of what may turn out to be Cruise's two-part franchise finale. The image shows Waddingham looking rather stoic and determined while wearing a fur-lined jacket and a baseball cap with the words "strike" and "ten" on it.

It's a classic don't-attract-attention outfit (see: Joe Goldberg's trusty cap that seems to make him invisible in "You") that makes me hope Waddingham will be in on the action in the upcoming "Mission: Impossible" film, perhaps as a colleague of agent Ethan Hunt. An industrial-looking structure can be seen behind Waddingham in the shot, and McQuarrie's previous post indicates that it may actually be part of a naval aircraft carrier.

Anticipation is through the roof at this point for "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One," the seventh "Mission: Impossible" film since the spy franchise (which began as a TV show) hit the big screen in 1996. Tom Cruise has already revived one massive franchise with last year's "Top Gun: Maverick," a movie that had a tremendous box office turnout and managed to wow critics and nab a Best Picture nomination, too. The stunt-loving movie star looks to be giving his all yet again for his latest spy action film, as previews and clips have highlighted a series of impressive sequences including Cruise's truly harrowing-looking motorcycle-riding leap from a cliff.

Stunts aside, the "Dead Reckoning" films are shaping up to have what might be the best cast in the franchise's history. While Hannah Waddingham will appear in "Part Two," the first entry will reportedly feature an ensemble that includes "The Princess Bride" star Cary Elwes, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" actor Pom Klementieff, "Catastrophe" star and co-creator Rob Delaney, and Agent Carter herself, Hayley Atwell. Returning cast-mates include Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames, with "The Crown" breakout Vanessa Kirby also coming back after her small role in 2018's "Mission: Impossible — Fallout."

"Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" will cliff-dive into theaters on July 14, 2023. "Part Two" is currently scheduled to follow suit on June 28, 2024.