With Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning being branded as potentially the last movie in the franchise (at least for now), fans' eyes are locked on what Tom Cruise movies they can expect in the theater after the action-spy epic. Following Mission: Impossible 8, Cruise finds himself in an interesting spot—one that the longtime actor has not been in since the late 2010s, a decade ago.
Since 2017, Cruise has jumped from one action franchise to another, always working on either a new MI film or a Top Gun movie. Even for several years before that, aside from a rare one-off role here and there, the actor's time was dominated by the Mission: Impossible series. However, with The Final Reckoning in the can, the 62-year-old star's future on the big screen is as open as ever.
Cruise has projects lined up post-MI8, but most are not what fans would expect. Cruise is set to have a varied future output of films that includes several big-name franchises, working with a renowned auteur, and several opportunities to push what is possible within the bounds of the cinema.
Every Upcoming Tom Cruise Movie After Mission: Impossible 8
Untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu Film (2026)
The only upcoming Tom Cruise movie with specific release information is the forthcoming Untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu Film. The upcoming film from the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind The Revenant and Birdman is set to hit theater screens on October 2, 2026, starring Cruise in the lead role alongside Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, and Jesse Plemons.
Filming for the project took place in London, and production wrapped in early May. Not much is known about the film, without even a title, although Iñárritu has said it will be a comedy about "human nature" (via Deadline).
The Iñárritu movie marks a significant moment for Cruise as he dips his toes back into working with a true Hollywood auteur, something he was more known to do in the late 90s and early 2000s. Hopefully, this will be a return to a particular vertical of Cruise's career that fans have not seen for several years as he ventures out from the action movie superstar veil for the first time in a long time.
Broadsword (TBD)
These days, where Tom Cruise has gone, director Christopher McQuarrie has followed. The actor/filmmaker pair have been like peanut butter and jelly since they first worked together on 2012's Jack Reacher, with McQuarrie taking the reins on the last four Mission Impossible films and even serving as a writer on 2022's Top Gun: Maverick.
So, whatever the Final Reckoning filmmaker has planned would include his action-infused muse, Tom Cruise. The most imminent of these projects is known as Broadsword, a World War II epic that is reportedly set to be Cruise's next project to film (via World of Reel).
Broadsword is said to follow a marine captain during the war who lands behind enemy lines and, against all odds, sets out to complete his mission amidst the carnage. Cruise will lead the upcoming film with former Superman Henry Cavill joining him, along with Inception's Marion Cotillard.
The Gauntlet (TBD)
The second of two Christopher McQuarrie films with Tom Cruise on the books is the upcoming action crime thriller The Gauntlet. The new movie is set to be a remake of the 1977 Clint Eastwood drama of the same name. It will follow a detective (played by Cruise) as he attempts to get a star witness to court amid a massive conspiracy within the force.
The only other star attached to The Gauntlet remake is Scarlett Johansson, who is reportedly set to play the co-lead in the movie. This marks the first time Cruise and the former Avenger have worked together on the big screen.
Not much is known about the film other than that it will be "gnarlier" than most previous Cruise/McQuarrie collaborations, as McQuarrie described it on the Light the Fuse podcast.
Untitled Tom Cruise/SpaceX Project (TBD)
For a large part of his career, Tom Cruise has been all about pushing the limit of what is possible on the big screen, and that is precisely what he wants to continue to do with his Untitled Tom Cruise/SpaceX Project.
This upcoming film would be the first to ever shoot in space, with Cruise himself going into orbit in an unprecedented movie and becoming the first civilian to do a proper space walk. The title is said to be directed by Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman, and frequent Cruise collaborator Christopher McQuarrie will join the crew as a writer on the project.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has described the movie as "Mission Impossible in space. " Cruise told Variety in 2023 that he is "working on [the movie] diligently" and hopes it happens soon.
Live Die Repeat and Repeat (Rumored)
Without another Mission: Impossible movie locked in, there have been worries that Tom Cruise is moving away from the franchise game for a while; however, that is not exactly the case. There have been rumors that the Ethan Hunt actor is in early talks to join a sequel to 2014's Edge of Tomorrow (aka Live Die Repeat).
Colloquially known as Live Die Repeat and Repeat, Cruise has been talking about the time-bending sci-fi sequel since 2015, when the actor said that a concept for a follow-up had been locked in.
The first film's director, Doug Liman, has signed on for the second movie. In reporting on a 2024 deal between Cruise and Warner Bros., it was speculated that the studio would try to fast-track a second movie in the series (per Collider), but that has not been made official.
Top Gun 3 (Rumored)
The last project on Tom Cruise's upcoming slate is a third movie in the Top Gun franchise. While Paramount has not officially announced any specific release information about the project, Top Gun 3 has been one of Hollywood's worst-kept secrets in recent years.
After Top Gun: Maverick's $1 billion success, questions about a potential follow-up have been plentiful among fans. Paramount mentioned the movie for the first time shortly after Maverick's 2022 release, revealing that a third film was in development and the director of the last movie, Joseph Kosinski (the man behind this summer's F1), was being considered to return to helm the threequel.
Last fans heard about Top Gun 3, it was reported that the script was still being worked on for the movie, and it remains a priority for Cruise and co.
