Angela Bassett May Return To Mission: Impossible, But She's Not Forgotten In Dead Reckoning

After quite a lengthy break (in no small part thanks to the pandemic), Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt is back at it again in "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One." It's a long movie, and as the name implies, just the first part of a larger story cooked up by writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, who has been steering the ship since "Rogue Nation." While many familiar faces returned for this latest adventure, one notably missing was Angela Bassett's Erika Sloane. But rest assured, she has not been forgotten.

Speaking recently with Variety, McQuarrie addressed the absence of Bassett's character, who was first introduced in 2018's "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" as the director of the CIA. Originally, Bassett was going to be in the latest installment, but unfortunately, all of the pandemic-related delays created a scheduling conflict. McQuarrie explained that she would have returned as the head of the CIA, while also heavily implying that she's coming back in the future.

"She was going to be the head of the CIA. She would have been in that room with all of the other heads of the intelligence community. And we're not done with Angela Bassett. Angela is too fabulous, you could never ever let Angela get away, so there's always a plan in the future."

Does that mean we're going to see Erika Sloane back in the mess in "Dead Reckoning, Part Two" next year? Maybe, maybe not. As Tom Cruise recently said, he wants to keep making these movies until he's 80, so there may well be further opportunities down the line as well.

One thing that is made clear both in McQuarrie's comments and "Dead Reckoning, Part One" is that Bassett has not exited the franchise. As the director explained in his comments, there is a scene in the film where the heads of the various intelligence gathering agencies gather to discuss the movie's big problem that only Ethan Hunt can solve. Erika Sloane may not be there in person, but she's still around.

At one point during the meeting, a photo of Sloane can be seen in the background of the scene where Henry Czerny's Eugene Kittridge is meeting with other intelligence leaders, including Cary Elwes as a new character, early in the movie. Kittridge, for those who may need a refresher, was a big part of the original "Mission: Impossible" but hasn't been since for nearly 30 years, with this film marking his big return. But his return does not necessarily mean that Bassett is gone, as that photo indicates she's still somewhere out there. 

But what's she up to during the events of the new film? If she's not the head of the CIA, what is she doing? Will she be on Ethan's side when we see her again? Or will she be trying to hunt him down? All questions that McQuarrie seems to have an interest in answering at some point.

"Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part Two" is currently set to hit theaters on June 28, 2024.