De-Aging Tom Cruise Was Considered For Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning

At one point, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 was going to feature a flashback sequence early on that included de-aging Tom Cruise to portray a young Ethan Hunt. But that plan was ultimately put on ice after director Christopher McQuarrie determined it would be too distracting--at least for now.

Speaking with GamesRadar, McQuarrie opened up about a 1989 sequence for Mission: Impossible 7 that "we talked about it as a cold open, we talked about it as flashbacks in the movie, we looked at de-aging." But apparently that key last part--de-aging--made the filmmaker nix the whole thing.

"One of the big things about [the de-aging] I was looking at while researching, I kept saying, 'Boy, this de-aging is really good' or 'This de-aging is not so good,'" McQuarrie said. "Never did I find myself actually following the story."

However, that doesn't mean McQuarrie is writing off the idea for the future of the franchise. In fact, the director--who also helmed Rogue Nation and Fallout in the Mission: Impossible series--believes he may have "cracked the code" on how to actually implement a de-aged Cruise.

Mission: Impossible 7 wouldn't have been the only big blockbuster this summer to utilize de-aging if the film proceeded with the plan. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens with 25 minutes of de-aged Harrison Ford, as the adventure movie begins with a sequence set in 1944. Speaking of which, Cruise expressed his admiration for Ford earlier this month. Cruise added that he hopes to keep starring in Mission: Impossible movies into his 80s like Ford has done with Indiana Jones.

Premiering earlier this week, Mission: Impossible 7 could have a record-setting start for the franchise at the box office. For more, check out GameSpot's Mission: Impossible 7 review roundup.