The Hollywood strikes may be drawing to a close; but for many 2024 films, avoiding delays may be the real mission impossible for Dead Reckoning Part 2.
As the title suggests, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two is the sequel to 2023's Dead Reckoning directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise in his perennial role as Ethan Hunt.
The film was originally set to release on June 23, 2024, and still holds that date. However, a new update suggests audiences may have to wait for Mission: Impossible 8.
Mission Impossible 8's Unlikely Release Plan
As reported by Deadline, the plan to release Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 2 on June 28, 2024 "remains in question."
This is due to continued uncertainty surrounding the SAG-AFTRA strike, which is still ongoing, as well as a source who claimed the coming year's release calendar is "not real."
Adding to the unlikelihood of Mission Impossible 8 holding its original release is the reality that it hasn't finished filming.
Just days prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, director Christopher McQuarrie admitted MI8 was only 40% done.
In that same interview, he referenced the eighth Mission: Impossible film's "tight schedule" and revealed production wasn't expected to wrap until "early next year:"
"All the interstitial stuff is shot. There are characters in the movie you don't even know about yet. And I have one—how would I call it? It's a sidebar action sequence involving the team, which we haven't shot yet, and that's first up as soon as we get back. It's involving elements that I've never worked with before. It's a big challenge, and it's a tight schedule. The plan to be wrapped for all principal photography is early next year."
Why Dead Reckoning Part 2 Won't Accept This Mission
Contrary to what some may think, writers, actors, and directors can't simply pick up right where they left off before the strikes.
The fact Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 2 features an all-star cast with conflicting schedules, as well as travel to international locations, elaborate action set pieces, and complex stunts only makes its ability to resume harder than others.
But even if Mission: Impossible 8 could somehow finish filming and post-production in time for a June 28 debut, the studio may have different ideas.
At this point, there's no doubt more 2024 movies will be delayed. The only reason they haven't is because studios haven't known when the strikes will end or what the fallout will look like.
Once they do, the real calendar won't only reflect which movies had to be delayed due to production, but also when they can best perform against their competitors.
After all, as Dead Reckoning Part 1 so perfectly illustrated amidst the Barbie and Oppenheimer phenomenon, when to release a movie can influence its success; and studios will be eyeing one another's schedule for the optimal calendar slots.
So again, even in the unlikely event that Mission Impossible 8 is in the can on time, its release plan hinges on other Paramount films and other studio blockbusters.
As it currently stands, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 2 hits theaters on June 28, 2024.
