6 lesser-known facts about Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

The latest Tom Cruise blockbuster Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One has been released to universal acclaim, with several critics calling it the best entry in the franchise. The film features gripping set pieces, an immersive plot, and Cruise’s trademark death-defying stunts and action sequences that will surely blow your socks off. In today’s Now You Know podcast we compile some lesser-known facts about  Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One that you surely didn’t know.

1. According to reports, Black Panther star Angela Bassett was supposed to reprise her role from the previous MI film, Mission: Impossible - Fallout. But her role was snipped due to scheduling conflicts and the pandemic delaying production. The filmmakers have, however, added her in the film in a blink-and-you-will-miss-it cameo. Her portrait can be seen hanging on the wall where the American intelligence heads hold a meeting in one of the opening segments of the film. Only hawk-eyed fans of the franchise will be able to spot this one.
2. Did you know that British star Nicholas Hoult, who is best known for his roles in the X-Men franchise, The Menu, and Mad Max: Fury Road was originally cast to essay the role of the villain in the film? However, just like Bassett, Hoult was also forced to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic which delayed the production of this action blockbuster. And we all know now that he was replaced by none other than Titans and Ozark star Esai Morales.
3. Fans of high-octane action will be stoked to know that some of the action sequences in this film have actually used real-life props and set pieces. One example would be the bridge depicted in the climax of the film. The filmmakers wanted to use a real bridge which is blown up in the final sequence of the film. And they eventually found one in Poland that was scheduled to be demolished. However, it turned out that the bridge had historical significance and there was strong opposition from locals that compelled the makers to alter their plans. As it turns out, they eventually returned to the US and built a bridge from scratch only to blow it up later while shooting the climax. Talk about getting some heavy-duty bang for your buck.
4. In the previous film, it was hinted that Vanessa Kirby’s character Alanna aka the White Widow is the daughter of Max Mitsopolis, the villain from the first film in the franchise which was played by Vanessa Redgrave. This is confirmed in the new film by Henry Czerny's Eugene Kittredge in one of the final scenes, and he also calls Kirby’s character by her full name –  Alanna Mitsopolis. Coincidently, Czerny’s Kittredge was last seen in the first film, nearly 27 years ago – making him the longest absent character in the entire franchise to make a comeback.
5. Henry Czerny’s return as Eugene Kittredge in the seventh instalment makes him only the third actor to have appeared in the first film and the latest film. Whereas Simon Pegg has appeared in all the films post-Mission: Impossible III.  But can you guess who are the two actors who have appeared in all seven MI films? The correct answer is Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames.
6. There were news reports of Tom Cruise being very particular about following COVID-19 protocols during production, even suspending the film’s shoot temporarily till all the safety measures were implemented by the production. But did you know that Cruise’s shenanigans even drove a few crew members to quit after the actor went on expletive-filled rants during filming. Additionally, when filming resumed in the UK after several pandemic-related delays, the actor paid half-a-million pounds for an old cruise ship so that the cast and crew could use it to quarantine during the shoot.

Well thats the Now you know episode for today, until the next one its your host Nikhil signing out.

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• Written by Ryan Gomez

Read our review of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One here. 

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