‘It suddenly became more and more prescient’: Simon Pegg explains why AI is the ideal ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ villain

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is closing in on theaters, determined to take this year’s prize as the most exhausting film title of 2023, although we doubt it will stand much of a chance against Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World in that department.

All kidding aside, it looks like Tom Cruise and company have spent a long, laborious time in the kitchen with this one, and with the leading man’s stunts looking to go further off the chain than ever before, the seventh entry in this long-standing franchise just might be the blockbuster hit of the summer.

At the very least, it’s going to be especially easy to cheer for Ethan Hunt and the rest of his IMF team this time around, as they gear up to to go toe-to-taskbar with artificial intelligence; an adversary that one Simon Pegg, who reprises his role as Hunt’s ally Benji Dunn in the film and who recently spoke to ScreenRant on the topic, considers the perfect antagonist for round seven of the historically timely Mission: Impossible franchise.

When we started making the film, McQ told me about the idea for the villain, and I thought, “This is perfect. This is so Mission: Impossible.” Mission: Impossible’s always been about technology and about masks and gadgets, and this feels like… “Yeah, of course.” But as we were making it, it suddenly became more and more prescient and felt more and more like a reflection of what is happening now in society. To the point where it could be happening now in society, but we don’t know yet.

It’s hard to say exactly how AI will rear its soulless head in the face of Ethan, Benji, and the rest of the gang, but given that the film’s synopsis details the IMF team gunning for a mysterious weapon before it winds up in the hands of an enigmatic new foe, it’s probably safe to say that Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One isn’t going to pull any punches in the realm of topical subtext.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will release in theaters on July 12.