Hollywood’s fearless action titan, Tom Cruise, is gearing up to electrify audiences one last time as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the newly unveiled trailer for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Dropped on Monday, April 07, 2025, the trailer offers a tantalizing glimpse into what could be the grand finale of the blockbuster franchise, set to explode into theaters on May 23. Known for pushing the boundaries of physical performance, Cruise proves yet again that age is just a number as he tackles some of the most audacious stunts of his career.
The two-minute trailer opens with a haunting shot of a submerged submarine, its hull creaking under the ocean’s crushing pressure, hinting at one of the film’s centerpiece sequences. From there, it’s a whirlwind of adrenaline: Cruise is seen sprinting across a collapsing bridge, piloting a helicopter through a storm-ravaged canyon, and, in a moment that’s already sparking buzz, clinging to the wing of an inverted plane as it spirals through the sky. The stakes feel higher than ever, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance as Ethan Hunt races to neutralize The Entity—a rogue AI threat carried over from 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.
Cruise teased the trailer’s release on Instagram the day prior, posting a cryptic caption: “The end begins tomorrow.” Fans flooded the comments with excitement, and the trailer didn’t disappoint, blending heart-pounding action with emotional beats that suggest this could be Ethan Hunt’s swan song. The Mission: Impossible series, which began in 1996, has evolved into a cultural juggernaut, largely thanks to Cruise’s commitment to performing his own stunts—a tradition that reaches its zenith in The Final Reckoning.
Returning director Christopher McQuarrie has assembled a stellar ensemble to join Cruise on this last mission. Franchise veterans Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Vanessa Kirby reprise their roles, alongside Hayley Atwell and Esai Morales, who bring fresh tension to the fold. Newcomers Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) add intriguing layers, with Waddingham’s steely-eyed glare in the trailer suggesting she’s a force to be reckoned with. Offerman, meanwhile, appears as a grizzled operative with a penchant for dry wit, offering a brief but memorable moment of levity amid the chaos.
In a recent interview with Variety, Cruise opened up about the toll of filming the plane stunt, describing it as “the most physically punishing thing I’ve ever done.” Strapped to the aircraft at 10,000 feet, he endured winds exceeding 130 mph while maintaining pinpoint control to nail the shot. “You’re fighting to stay conscious, to keep your bearings—it’s a mental and physical marathon,” he said. The underwater submarine sequence, filmed in a massive tank over multiple weeks, required him to hold his breath for over six minutes, a feat he trained for with elite free divers.
As Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning looms on the horizon, it’s clear Cruise is leaving everything on the table. Whether this truly marks the end of Ethan Hunt’s journey or sets the stage for a new chapter, one thing is certain: the world will be watching, breathless, as he takes his final leap.
