Cruise’s Mission: Impossible Demands Prove How Badly The Movies Needs Him

If Tom Cruise’s recent Mission: Impossible 7 demands are any indication, he’s more important to the franchise than it seems. Cruise has starred as protagonist Ethan Hunt since the movie series began in 1996, which has grossed a total of $3.6 billion at the worldwide box office. The movies are based on the TV series of the same name, which ran from 1966 to 1973 and starred Peter Graves as lead Jim Phelps. Jon Voight played Phelps in the 1996 Mission: Impossible movie when Graves refused to reprise the role after learning the character becomes a traitor, a plot twist that also disappointed many fans at the time. However, fans forgave the first movie’s Phelps twist and embraced Cruise’s Ethan Hunt as the franchise’s dominating face.

Cruise has produced and starred in all six Mission: Impossible installments, with the two upcoming M:I films expected to be his last. From Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible behind-the-scenes stories in which he famously performs his own dangerous stunts, to the giant marketing appeal his A-list status provides, there are many reasons why Cruise and Mission: Impossible seem inseparable. It’s clearly his heavy involvement in the Mission: Impossible franchise contributes greatly to its success.

Yet it’s his recent actions with Paramount, as reported by THR, that really display Tom Cruise’s influence over the franchise. Cruise is taking action against Paramount after the studio expressed plans to stream Mission: Impossible 7 on Paramount+ 45 days after its theatrical release, instead of the 90-day industry standard. Cruise also blocked Paramount’s efforts to create a Mission: Impossible television series. Due to the various reasons that Mission: Impossible cannot work without Cruise, the studio’s response to Cruise’s actions, which would otherwise only paint him as an audaciously demanding actor, further proves his hold on the franchise.

Paramount has understandable reasons to satisfy Cruise. Shortening M:I7′s streaming window could breach Cruise’s contract, which reportedly stipulates that treatment for Mission: Impossible 7 must be consistent with the franchise’s previous film, 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Reportedly, Cruise even hired lawyers to fight this issue. As far as the television series, the fact that Tom Cruise’s word alone blocked the project proves his hold on the franchise, despite Paramount having a clear reason to create a Mission: Impossible TV show. For one, the franchise’s roots are in TV, so returning to the format for a modern audience is understandable. Furthermore, if Mission: Impossible 8 is Cruise’s last M:I film, Paramount may want to continue one of their most lucrative franchises in a different way. With that said, saying no to Cruise would strain their relationship and potentially violate other contractual terms with him.

It’s evident that Tom Cruise is fighting hard to maintain Mission: Impossible’s box office-smashing reputation. During M:I7‘s shooting, he went on a highly-reported tirade against crew members who violated on-set COVID-19 protocols. These instances of Cruise blocking Paramount’s Mission: Impossible television series and fighting the studio on Mission: Impossible 7′s streaming release then come as further proof of Cruise’s sway over the franchise. With that considered, even if Mission: Impossible 8′s potential ending means that Cruise will exit the franchise entirely, his actions now will affect Mission: Impossible’s future. Nonetheless, Tom Cruise seemingly wants to preserve the theatrical experience for the Mission: Impossible 7 movie, which is understandable considering their multi-million dollar budgets.