Buzz
Tom Cruise’s body continues to defy age, which means we can expect even more thrilling adventures of Ethan Hunt and the Impossible Mission Force (IMF). But for those familiar with the behind-the-scenes secrets, the real shocker isn't that Tom Cruise is still eager to play a spy—it's how he's managed to survive all the daring stunts!
10. The Original Cast Didn’t Enjoy It
Brian De Palma, director of the original Mission: Impossible film, sought to pay homage to the classic TV series by asking Peter Graves to reprise his iconic role as Jim Phelps. However, Graves refused the offer because he was displeased with the new portrayal of his character—turning the beloved hero from the original show into a murderous villain, a role that ultimately went to Jon Voight.
Actor Martin Landau, who played Rollin Hand in the original series, declined to return for the modern films due to his strong distaste for them. He especially disliked an early version of the script for the first Mission: Impossible movie, in which the entire team meets a gruesome fate.
Landau was concerned that this shift pointed to a move away from the spy genre—where audiences root for characters to navigate covert missions—toward a more straightforward action film. He also didn’t believe the script was strong, a sentiment shared by many viewers who struggled to follow the first movie’s complex plot!
9. Tom Cruise Continues to Push the Limits with Life-Threatening Stunts for These Films
Tom Cruise made headlines worldwide for his daring stunt in Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol when he insisted on climbing the tallest building on earth himself instead of using a stunt double. The final shot was breathtaking and nerve-wracking, but it wasn’t the only instance where he risked his life for the sake of these films.
In Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation, Cruise raised the stakes even higher by clinging to a military Airbus, much to the horror of both the film crew and Airbus staff, who feared the actor could fall to his death if a bird collided with him mid-flight.
Cruise didn’t stop there; during the filming of scenes on Utah’s Dead Horse Point, he climbed the cliffs himself, leaving director John Woo terrified that the actor would fall 600 meters (2,000 ft) to his demise.
While all these stunts are jaw-dropping, the most cringe-worthy moment came while filming Mission: Impossible II. In one scene, a knife was meant to be “near” Tom Cruise’s eye. The actor, however, insisted that the knife be just 0.65 centimeters (0.25 in) from his eye, with a cable being the only thing preventing the knife-wielding actor—instructed to apply full force—from skewering Cruise’s eye and brain.
8. The M:I–3 Marketing Stunt Turns into an Unintended Act of Terrorism
In a misstep that caused a stir, the marketing team for Mission: Impossible III unintentionally panicked city officials in Santa Clarita, California, who believed the city was under attack. Paramount had created 4,500 devices that played the Mission: Impossible theme and hidden them inside Los Angeles Times vending boxes. But what went wrong?
Instead of remaining concealed in the vending boxes, these devices frequently came loose and landed on top of the newspapers. With these mysterious black boxes scattered across the city, the police became convinced that the city was under siege, prompting bomb squads to detonate several of the vending machines and close down a veterans' hospital while officials assessed the threat.
Despite the bad publicity surrounding both the movie and the Los Angeles Times from this PR blunder, the newspaper chose to leave the remaining devices in the vending machines until after the film's release.
7. The Show Straddled the Line Between Plagiarism and Homage
An old saying suggests there are only seven truly original scripts in Hollywood. This reflects the idea that the media tends to recycle ideas, with what seems new often being a reimagining of older concepts. Keeping this in mind, the original Mission: Impossible TV show came very close to crossing the boundary between tribute and outright plagiarism.
The show’s creators were actually sued for plagiarism by the team behind ABC's detective series 21 Beacon Street, ultimately settling the dispute out of court. Following the settlement, Mission: Impossible hired 21 Beacon Street writer and editor Laurence Heath to write several episodes.
At times, inspiration for the writing came from literary works rather than other TV shows. For instance, M:I writer William Woodfield was so captivated by David Maurer’s book on con artists, The Big Con, that he adapted several of its cons into episode plots for the series.
Even the most iconic element of the original show—the prerecorded message that self-destructs—wasn’t a groundbreaking invention. This concept first appeared in the novels Saigon and Danger Key, featuring a spy with the unforgettable name: Nick Carter-Killmaster.
6. Tom Cruise vs. South Park
When American philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote 'Civil Disobedience'—a piece urging individuals to take a moral stance and withhold their tax money from funding unnecessary wars and slavery—he could never have predicted that his call for rebellion would later be echoed by the most unexpected champions: Comedy Central and South Park.
Comedy Central, when planning to re-air the South Park episode 'Trapped in the Closet,' which mocked both Tom Cruise and Scientology, faced a threat from the Mission: Impossible star himself, who vowed to stop promoting Mission: Impossible III unless the episode was altered. In response, Comedy Central made changes to the episode, and creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone stayed silent on the matter, reportedly to avoid further embarrassing the actor.
Nevertheless, the South Park fanbase fought back, issuing loud threats to boycott Mission: Impossible III unless the controversial episode was reinstated. Some fans even uploaded the episode to YouTube and petitioned Comedy Central to air it again. The network, reportedly unconcerned with the YouTube uploads, eventually decided to rebroadcast the episode, much to the delight of Parker and Stone. They even expressed gratitude toward Tom Cruise, claiming the actor’s publicity stunt inadvertently gave their show a level of exposure that no one else could have achieved.
5. Tom Cruise Is Responsible for J.J. Abrams's Film Career
J.J. Abrams has firmly established himself in the world of geek entertainment, with projects ranging from the revitalized Star Trek films to Super 8 and his work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But none of this would have been possible without one key factor: Tom Cruise’s love for binge-watching television.
The production of the third Mission: Impossible film ran into difficulties when it came to selecting a director. Initially, David Fincher was in line to helm the movie, but he exited due to creative differences. Joe Carnahan then took the helm, but his vision for the film, which included Kenneth Branagh playing a character like Timothy McVeigh alongside Carrie-Anne Moss and Scarlett Johansson, did not align with the studio’s expectations. Carnahan ultimately left due to these differing creative directions.
Luckily, Cruise had an idea of his own. After binge-watching the first two seasons of Abrams’s Alias, Cruise personally approached Abrams with the offer to direct. Abrams accepted the opportunity, and the success of the film helped catapult him to superstar directorial status.
4. Leonard Nimoy's Breakthrough Came Through the Mission: Impossible TV Series
In 1965, acclaimed actor Martin Landau found himself with two fascinating TV opportunities: one as a spymaster with a knack for disguise on Mission: Impossible, and another as Mr. Spock, the first officer aboard the starship Enterprise in Gene Roddenberry's groundbreaking series Star Trek. Landau later explained that the stoic nature of Spock, often emotionless and rigid, didn't align with his acting style. 'I couldn't play wooden,' he recalled. In the end, he chose Mission: Impossible, leading Roddenberry to cast the iconic Leonard Nimoy as Spock, a role that would forever define his career.
Ironically, Landau and Nimoy almost reunited on Mission: Impossible. Landau portrayed Rollin Hand, a master of disguise whose skills aided the Impossible Mission Force. When Landau departed after season three, his character was replaced by The Great Paris, a new role taken on by Nimoy shortly after the cancellation of Star Trek.
3. Ethan Hunt Saves... Pixar Studios?
Many blockbuster films are known for hiding Easter eggs for sharp-eyed viewers, and Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol is no different. One of the most unusual Easter eggs features a missile headed toward Emeryville, California—a city famously home to Pixar Animation Studios, which is almost hit by the missile Ethan Hunt intercepts.
So, why was Pixar almost obliterated? Ghost Protocol was directed by Brad Bird, a Pixar veteran known for his work on The Incredibles. The movie marked his move from animation to live-action films, and the near-destruction of Pixar was a playful nod to his career transition.
Despite the near miss, Bird made sure to honor his roots. In the film, Ethan Hunt’s code number was 'A113,' a reference to the classroom used during Bird’s time at Cal Arts. The number also appears on a class ring in the film, serving as a signature Bird often includes in all his works.
2. Paramount Tried To Kill Ethan Hunt
Among all the Mission: Impossible films, Mission: Impossible III, directed by J.J. Abrams, proved to be the most disappointing from a financial perspective. The film earned $100 million less than its predecessor, directed by John Woo, leading Paramount to speculate about the cause. Tom Cruise’s very public promotion of Scientology, his infamous couch-jumping episode on Oprah, and his controversial remarks about Brooke Shields' use of medication for postpartum depression had made the public—and particularly female audiences—more cautious about the actor. Despite its underperformance, the movie's success was enough to justify the creation of Ghost Protocol, but Paramount was eager to see Cruise exit the franchise.
To smoothly transition the franchise after Ghost Protocol, Jeremy Renner’s character was introduced as a potential lead. Early drafts of the script were blunt, with Cruise’s character being killed off early in the movie to make Renner the central star. However, the final version kept Cruise alive just long enough to showcase his talents. With Cruise’s popularity rising again and his star power contributing to the massive success of the sequel, Paramount had little choice but to retain him for Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation.
1. The Original Show Was All About The Cold War But Never Mentioned The Cold War
Given that Mission: Impossible first aired in 1966, it’s not surprising that the Soviet Union was depicted as the main antagonist for the American spies. However, what is surprising is how the show made a concerted effort to avoid directly mentioning the Soviet Union by name.
That said, the series did refer to certain Soviet-associated locations, like the infamous Lubyanka prison. When it came to naming enemy nations, however, the show used vague yet evocative terms to keep things less confrontational. Names such as 'Eastern European Republic' and 'European People’s Republic' were employed to skirt direct references.
Whenever the show had to use language from one of these enemy nations, the words weren’t in the authentic native tongue. Instead, they were written in a fictional dialect known as 'Gellerese,' named after the show’s producer, Bruce Geller. Gellerese served three main purposes: It allowed the show to avoid directly naming U.S. enemies, it made things easier for audiences (most of whom weren’t familiar with these foreign languages), and it added a bit of humor. After all, it didn’t take a linguist to realize that 'gaz' wasn’t the Russian word for 'gas.'
