There was a time almost a decade ago when Jeremy Renner was reportedly being positioned as the Mission: Impossible franchise’s new leading man. His stock was riding high following his critically-acclaimed performances in The Hurt Locker and The Town that saw him land consecutive Academy Award nominations, and it seemed as though he was going to break out as Hollywood’s next A-list superstar.
Obviously that never happened though, with Brad Bird’s Ghost Protocol acting as something of a soft reboot for Mission: Impossible instead, with star Tom Cruise’s death-defying antics stealing the headlines and Renner shunted back into a supporting role. Then, as the franchise moved from strength to strength in follow-ups Rogue Nation and Fallout, with the action-packed blockbusters primarily marketed on whatever insane stunt Cruise would perform next, Renner virtually disappeared from the series altogether. But it seems he could be making a return soon.
Sources close to WGTC – the same ones who told us an Ace Ventura 3 was in development and that Bill Murray was returning for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which both turned out to be true – say that Renner’s William Brandt will be showing up in Mission: Impossible 8, which is shooting back-to-back with the seventh installment. While plot specifics aren’t entirely clear, our sources have hinted that he could turn out to be working with the bad guys, which suits the franchise’s M.O. of multiple twists and turns featuring characters that you aren’t exactly sure you can trust. But again, it still remains hazy how he’ll be involved.
While Renner has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, the 48 year-old is still continuing to dive headlong into his work and is currently gearing up to reprise his role as Clint Barton once again in Disney Plus’ exclusive series Hawkeye. After that, the actor doesn’t seem to have any projects lined up and could easily head back to Mission: Impossible under writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, so we imagine it’s just a matter of time now before we get an official announcement on his involvement. As always, watch this space for more.
