In just a few short months, Tom Cruise will be back on the screen doing death-defying acts of action heroism with his latest outing as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. Eager to close out their day full of big reveals at CinemaCon 2023 on a high note and build hype for the latest installment in the long-running franchise, Paramount gave attendees a treat on Thursday when they debuted 20 action-packed minutes of the film. This footage won't be available to the public, but Collider's own Steve Weintraub was in attendance in Las Vegas to take notes about the chaotic scene that unfolded.
The lengthy footage sees the IMF Agent in a bit of a literal bind as he's surrounded by enemies. He and the mysterious operator Grace played by Hayley Atwell are weaving through Rome at blistering speeds in an effort to evade their pursuers, including a character played by Pom Klementieff who's having way too much fun with the carnage, on their heels in a classic chase scene. This is Mission: Impossible though and it wouldn't be complete without an extra level of absurdity. Adding to the tension and the hilarity is that Cruise and Atwell are handcuffed together for the sequence as they swap through different vehicles from motorcycles to junk cars and more. The result is a string of epic car chases that tour famous landmarks and force Cruise and Atwell to take turns behind the wheel, though it seems the universe has it out for the latter as she's constantly thrust into the driver's seat. Although Cruise wasn't in attendance, Paramount distribution boss Chris Aronson spoke for the star when saying that this footage is not from the opening of the film.
What stood out through the 20 minutes of chaos was the quality of the action along with the shocking amount of humor that comes with Cruise and Atwell being forced to work together. The audience was laughing just as much as they were gasping at each twist and turn throughout the sequence. It seems the dynamic of Cruise and Atwell as unwilling partners brought together out of necessity will be a highlight in Dead Reckoning Part One, though the handcuff twist also indicates that Christopher McQuarrie and company are still coming up with and filming unique action scenes coming into the seventh installment.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One Looks to Be Another Hit for Cruise
Dead Reckoning Part One is the third Mission: Impossible with McQuarrie at the helm. He and Cruise have been a powerful team when it comes to creating boundary-pushing action cinema, previously working together on last year's global juggernaut Top Gun: Maverick. It seems they may have movie magic again with Ethan Hunt's latest outing if the footage is any indication. The footage wasn't the only surprise for Mission: Impossible fans, however, as it was also revealed that Dead Reckoning will move up a couple of days to July 12. An early trailer was also shown to audiences alongside the footage, but it'll be a bit before it debuts online as some editing still needs to be done.
In addition to Cruise, Atwell, and Klementieff, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One features a starry cast including Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Angela Bassett, Cary Elwes, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney, and Charles Parnell among others. This just marks the beginning of the two-part episode in Hunt's journey with Dead Reckoning Part Two due out June 28, 2024, and featuring additional cast members including Nick Offerman, Janet McTear, and Hannah Waddingham.
Check out the original trailer below.