Christopher McQuarrie

In addition to his actual resume, Christopher McQuarrie is well-known for providing a little uncredited rewrite assistance on various films, including the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While he’s busy prepping Mission: Impossible 6 with Tom Cruise, McQuarrie was asked when we might see him write a Star Wars movie — a notion too good to ignore on its own, but when you see his idea for a spinoff, you’ll think it’s even better.

One of the most frustrating parts of my job are the complaints from some viewers that never line up with reality. When people want to talk about movies with me, the first question after “What should I see right now?” is always some variation of “Why are there so many sequels? Why doesn’t Hollywood make original movies?” I hear this all the time. But the sequels continue to make huge money, while the occasional risk-taking originals tend to fare poorly.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was one of the best M:I outings yet, thanks in no small part to Christopher McQuarrie’s script and direction, as well as Rebecca Ferguson’s kick-ass supporting role. Paramount clearly recognizes a good thing when they’ve got it, as the studio is reportedly in talks with McQuarrie to return to both write and direct Mission: Impossible 6, with the option for Ferguson to reprise her role, if she wants it.

Put this rumor on the “likely” pile: a new report suggests that Christopher McQuarrie may have punched up the screenplay for Gareth Edwards’ Star Wars: Rogue One, which is fairly believable, given how often McQuarrie does uncredited script rewrites. At any rate, if true, that’s excellent news for Rogue One and fans of the Star Wars universe.

Last week, Tom Cruise caused a bit of a stir when he revealed that there are tentative plans for an Edge of Tomorrow sequel — there’s nothing solid or official in place yet, but apparently he’s thinking about it. So is Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote Edge of Tomorrow and wrote / directed Jack Reacher and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation hits theaters this week, and it’s already been earning crazy good reviews for the latest installment in Tom Cruise’s action-packed franchise. There’s plenty to love in the sequel, in which Cruise continues to fully dedicate himself to some insane stunts. But as with most films, there were some pretty awesome scenes that hit the cutting room floor due to time, like this 10-minute scene with Alec Baldwin described by director Christopher McQuarrie.

Alec Baldwin is just four years older than Tom Cruise. In the mid-’90s, they were both action stars. When the first Mission: Impossible movie came out in 1996, it would not have been inconceivable in the slightest for Baldwin to play super-spy Ethan Hunt; Baldwin was the first actor to play the role of super-spy Jack Ryan in 1990’s The Hunt For Red October; in 1994, he headlined a pair of big Hollywood productions, The Shadow and The Getaway.

No one has ever been shy about putting Tom Cruise’s apparent death wish front and center whenever it’s time to promote a new Mission: Impossible movie. Like with previous entries in the series, most of the chatter surrounding Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation has revolved around the myriad of ways the franchise’s leading man put his life on the line for our entertainment. The new trailer puts many of his craziest stunts front and center, including that still-jaw-dropping shot of Cruise clinging to the the side of an airplane as it takes off. The movie’s message is clear: this man almost died for you. Reward him with strong box office receipts.

Just yesterday, we got our first real taste of Mission: Impossible 5 via a one-minute teaser trailer, but you should probably hold onto your seats because today brings the full trailer with even more Tom Cruise spy action and intrigue. Officially titled Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, the fifth installment in the franchise sees Ethan Hunt and the crew going up against a team of what are essentially anti-IMF agents, put together to bring Hunt’s organization down.

Last we heard, Christopher McQuarrie was retooling the ending of Mission: Impossible 5, resulting in a bit of a delay. According to the director, that’s not really accurate. McQuarrie took to Twitter for a spontaneous Q&A, fielding questions from fans of the series. The director addressed that issue with the ending, which characters won’t be back (and which ones get more screen time) and when we can expect the film’s official title and trailer.