Acclaimed Marvel Director to Helm Mission: Impossible 9 at Tom Cruise’s Request — Rumor

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Even though Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was promoted as the last movie in the series, reports suggest Tom Cruise is already developing a ninth film, and he’s teamed up with a director previously known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Which Marvel director was sought out by Tom Cruise for Mission: Impossible 9?

DeuxMoi, a popular Instagram account known for sharing celebrity rumors, recently shared an unverified email claiming that director Chloé Zhao is being considered to write and direct the next Mission: Impossible film. According to the email, Tom Cruise personally reached out to her, and they’ve already begun developing the story and script.

Check out the Instagram post below:

Chloé Zhao, an Academy Award-winning director, helmed Marvel Studios’ Eternals. Released in 2021 as part of the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the film centers on the Eternals—immortal beings who secretly lived on Earth for millennia—as they come out of hiding to defend the planet from the Deviants, their dangerous and ancient enemies.

Eternals stood out as a large-scale, big-budget film for director Chloé Zhao, who is usually known for smaller, critically acclaimed movies like her first film, Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015), as well as The Rider (2017), Nomadland (2020), and the upcoming Hamnet (2025).

She recently directed the pilot episode for the new ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ series currently being developed by Hulu. This suggests she’s willing to take on projects based on well-known franchises, such as ‘Mission: Impossible’.

It’s important to remember that this rumor about Mission: Impossible 9 is unconfirmed, as the source couldn’t be verified by DeuxMoi. However, the possibility of Zhao directing the next film is exciting, particularly because her movie Eternals featured impressive action scenes, like the fight between Makkari and Ikaris.

If the rumors about a ninth Mission: Impossible film are correct, Zhao would be the first director brought in to lead a movie in the series since 2015. This would also represent a return to the franchise’s earlier practice of frequently using a different director for each installment – a pattern it followed until 2018.

Several acclaimed directors, including Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams, and Brad Bird, each brought their own unique vision to the series. Christopher McQuarrie took the helm starting with 2015’s Rogue Nation and became the first director to work on two films in the franchise with 2018’s Fallout. He later directed two more installments: 2023’s Dead Reckoning and the upcoming 2025 film, The Final Reckoning.

The Mission: Impossible franchise is available to stream on Paramount+.

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2026-02-18 21:17