One Of Tom Cruise’s A+ Former Directors Revealed He ‘Would Have Loved’ Directing A Mission: Impossible Movie, And Now I Need A Time Machine To Make It Happen

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While the *Mission: Impossible* series likely isn’t finished, it’s almost certain that Tom Cruise won’t be involved in any future installments. This also means we won’t see any more films directed by acclaimed filmmakers like Brian De Palma, John Woo, or Christopher McQuarrie, who have all worked on the series.

What really gets me about all this isn’t just one lost project, but the fact that we’re likely closing the door on future collaborations between Tom Cruise and truly exceptional directors. It’s a genuine shame, because apparently Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed Cruise in *Magnolia*, was keen to take the helm of a *Mission: Impossible* film. He shared this with Le Figaro (as reported by The Playlist, translated from French)…

I really wanted to, but he never called me. I was pretty upset about it. It seems like he’s finished with the ‘Mission: Impossible’ films, so it probably won’t work out.

Wait a second… are you saying a simple phone call could have brought together Tom Cruise and Paul Thomas Anderson to make a *Mission: Impossible* movie? If that’s true, we need to convince Cruise to come back as Ethan Hunt and make this project a reality!

One potential downside of the recent *Mission: Impossible* films is that they were all directed by the same person, Christopher McQuarrie. He even acknowledged this himself. Previously, each *Mission: Impossible* movie had a different director, which helped give each film a distinct style and feel, even though the main character remained consistent.

The *Mission: Impossible* movies weren’t always hits, but they each had a unique style. Brian De Palma treated the first film like a suspenseful thriller, while John Woo focused on over-the-top action sequences. J.J. Abrams’ installment introduced a complex mystery that wasn’t fully resolved until later in the series.

Honestly, I’m still dreaming about what Paul Thomas Anderson could have done with a *Mission: Impossible* movie. It sounds totally unexpected, and that’s exactly why I think it would have been brilliant. Knowing his style, he’d have really focused on the characters and their inner lives, which would have been a fascinating way to approach such a big action franchise. I can just imagine how incredible that would have been!

Given how well *Mission: Impossible* has done, it’s hard to imagine the series ending anytime soon. We’ll likely see another film, whether it continues Tom Cruise’s story with new characters or starts fresh with a reboot. If they do reboot, it would be great to see them return to the original style and let various directors each bring their own vision to *Mission: Impossible*. And if that happens, someone really needs to call Paul Thomas Anderson!

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2025-09-24 22:38