Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Trailer Puts The Fate Of Every Living Soul On Earth In Tom Cruise's Hands

Ethan Hunt is back ... for the final time? The trailer for the next "Mission: Impossible" film is here, and it brings with it a new title that raises an eyebrow or two. The flick is called "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning," and the word "final" in there seems to imply this will be the last adventure for the Impossible Mission Force. At one point, this movie was going to be called "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two," as the previous entry was "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One." But "Dead Reckoning Part One" underperformed at the box office, and studio Paramount quickly dropped the "Part One" from the title by the time the film hit digital and Blu-ray. 

The title may be different, but "The Final Reckoning" will still be a continuation of the previous film, as "Dead Reckoning" ended on a cliffhanger with villain Gabriel (Esai Morales) getting away. As for Ethan Hunt and his team, they have to find a sunken submarine that we saw at the start of the previous movie and use a mysterious key that unlocks secrets tied to the Entity, a form of evil A.I. that has made everyone's life a living hell. I'll be honest: I love, love, love this franchise, but "Dead Reckoning" felt like a disappointment. I was especially surly that the film killed off fan favorite character Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson. But who knows — maybe she's not dead! Maybe someone will pull off a mask in this new movie and reveal they're Ilsa, alive and well, somehow! For now, though, watch the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" trailer above. 

Hell yeah, this trailer rules. It's intense, it's exciting, and yes, it once again has Tom Cruise risking life and limb for our enjoyment (he's hanging off an upside-down plane, folks!). And this trailer sure seems to imply this might be the last mission for Ethan and the gang. "I need you to trust me one last time!" he says. On top of that, the trailer throws in callbacks to events from the very first "Mission: Impossible" film, which makes sense. Not only did "Dead Reckoning" bring back Henry Czerny as "Mission: Impossible" foil Eugene Kittridge, but Rolf Saxon's William Donloe, a character who had the misfortune of being poisoned by Ethan and the gang in the first film, is also back this time around. Maybe he wants revenge. 

Also returning: Angela Bassett as Erika Sloane, the CIA director last seen in "Mission: Impossible — Fallout." And of course, Hayley Atwell's Grace, a character introduced in the previous film, is back as well, with likely an even bigger role to play this time around. Look: I like Atwell. But she's no Rebecca Ferguson/Ilsa Faust. And that's all I'm going to say on that matter for now. The biggest takeaway from this trailer: Ethan Hunt has to save the entire world! To be fair, he's done that before. But as Gabriel is heard saying in voice over in this trailer, "The fate of every living soul on Earth" is now Ethan Hunt's responsibility. No pressure, Ethan. 

Christopher McQuarrie is once again in the director's chair, sharing writing duties with Erik Jendresen. As I said above, I was a little let down by "Dead Reckoning," but this trailer is so dang good that I'm of course hooked again. What can I say? I can't get enough of Ethan Hunt. And just in case you were wondering and haven't watched the trailer yet: yes, he does a lot of running again. 

"Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" stars Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, and Frederick Schmidt. Look for it in theaters on May 23, 2025.