Mission: Impossible's Kittridge Almost Returned In Rogue Nation Before Dead Reckoning

Brian De Palma's original "Mission: Impossible" subverted just about everything about the TV series it was based on. Ordinarily, the show would follow a skilled team of spies who use gadgets, wit, and impressive espionage skills to track down enemy spies and ultra-powerful criminals. In the movie, the team was assembled and the objectives were clear when De Palma elected to murder the entire team. The only survivor was a new character, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) whom the audience hadn't previously known. It was later revealed that the man behind the slaying of Ethan's team was none other than Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), the hero of the original TV series. This would be like if a "Star Trek" movie killed the main cast, leaving Ensign Jones as the main character. And then it was revealed that Captain Kirk was the one who betrayed everyone. 

In a notable scene in "Mission: Impossible," Ethan Hunt reconnoitered at a Prague restaurant after his IMF team was killed. Ethan, confused and sweaty, talks to Agent Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) who lays out the actual plot of the movie. It seems that IMF had been infiltrated by a mole keen on selling IMF secrets on the black market. Kittridge knew that someone on Ethan's team was the mole, but not who. Given that Ethan was the only survivor, the finger was pointed directly at him. Uh oh. 

Kittridge becomes the film's antagonist after that scene, aiming to apprehend Ethan at all costs. He was a good character and Czerny gave an intense performance.

To the pleasure of "M:I" fans, Kittridge returns in the new film "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" to provide portent. According to a recent interview in "Variety," however, Kittridge almost returned in an earlier chapter in the series. 

Each one of the "Mission: Impossible" movies has a "head honcho" character that Ethan Hunt ultimately answers to. Hunt typically goes rogue at some point and the honcho character gets incredibly miffed, so the character is usually stern, authoritative, and able to communicate authority in a second. In "Mission: Impossible II," it was Anthony Hopkins. In "Mission: Impossible III," it was Laurence Fishburne. In "Ghost Protocol," Tom Wilkinson played the head of the IMF (albeit briefly). In "Rogue Nation," the CIA chief was Alec Baldwin, a character who was carried over into "Fallout." It seems, however, that "Rogue Nation" director Christopher McQuarrie originally wanted Baldwin's character to be Kittridge, and for Czerny to return to the series.

Czerny couldn't reveal why he didn't return "a couple of installments ago," but made it clear there was no resentment toward Baldwin. He liked the new character and certainly didn't mind that an actor of Baldwin's stature took the role. "I'm thrilled that Alec came and did Hunley, that's for sure," Czerny told Variety. "That was great, I love that."

When it came time to appear in "Dead Reckoning," Czerny says it came as a surprise:

"I think it's a joke at first because my reps called me and said they want to bring Kittridge back and I'm in the middle of doing my errands in Los Angeles and fighting traffic or shredding old tax documents. [...] I think, 'Okay, what's going on really?' They say, 'Chris McQuarrie wants to talk to you about bringing Kittridge back,' and I take it seriously. Two days later, I'm on a call with Chris McQuarrie."

In "Dead Reckoning," Kittridge is still something of an antagonist. He aims to control a potentially malevolent artificial intelligence called The Entity, and sends Ethan Hunt on a fetch quest to retrieve two halves of a magical key that will unlock it (the "assemble two halves of a vital key" plot, quite curiously, was also seen this year in "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"). The climax of "Dead Reckoning" takes place on a train, mirroring the climax of the first "Mission: Impossible," which featured an action sequence within the Chunnel. Kittridge is on board the train in both instances, and Czerny says this was a deliberate little wink to the 1996 original. 

"There are a whole bunch of Easter eggs for people if they're interested. [...] The last time you see him in the first one, he's on a train, and this one you see him on a train as well with another Vanessa, Redgrave and Vanessa Kirby."

He may be biased, but Czerny also told Variety that "Dead Reckoning" is his new favorite in the series. He previously enjoyed "Fallout," but is impressed by how the series simply gets bigger and more spectacular with each entry. 

Czerny most recently appeared in "Scream VI," and will indeed return for "Dead Reckoning, Part Two," which is currently slated for release in 2024.