Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Black Friday
    • Gaming
      • Black Friday PS5 Deals
      • Black Friday Switch Deals
      • Black Friday Xbox Deals
      • Black Friday Retro Deals
    • PC
      • Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
      • Black Friday Graphics Card Deals
      • Black Friday Alienware Deals
    • Tabletop & Merch
      • Black Friday Lego Deals
      • Black Friday Board Game Deals
      • Black Friday Pokémon Card Deals
      • Black Friday Warhammer Deals
      • Gift Guides
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Black Friday
    • View Black Friday
      • Black Friday PS5 Deals
      • Black Friday Switch Deals
      • Black Friday Xbox Deals
      • Black Friday Retro Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
      • Black Friday Graphics Card Deals
      • Black Friday Alienware Deals
      • Black Friday Lego Deals
      • Black Friday Board Game Deals
      • Black Friday Pokémon Card Deals
      • Black Friday Warhammer Deals
      • Gift Guides
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Mission Impossible movies in order: Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt hanging from a wire during the first Mission Impossible movie.
Mission Impossible Movies How to watch the Mission: Impossible movies in order
Rosamund Pike as Veronika Vanderberg in Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Thriller Movies Now You See Me: Now You Don’t star Rosamund Pike pulled from her James Bond roots to "deliver a villain" that’s "worthy" of the Four Horsemen
Tom Holland in the Uncharted movie
Movies The 32 greatest movies for Uncharted fans to watch
A House of Dynamite
Thriller Movies A House of Dynamite stars discuss Netflix's terrifyingly plausible nuclear thriller "The film is really well researched, down to a documentary level of detail"
Josh O'Connor as JB in The Mastermind
Drama Movies The Mastermind is a brilliantly frustrating anti-heist movie that defies expectations, and it's one of my favorite movies of the year
Yu Shu Lien from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Movies The 32 greatest action films ever made
The Old Guard
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
Josh O'Connor and Daniel Craig in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Mystery Movies Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Dominic Sessa, Dave Franco, Justice Smith, Isla Fisher, and Ariana Greenblatt in Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Thriller Movies Now You See Me: Now You Don't director says hearing the audience gasp at the threequel's big twist made him feel like a real magician: "The movie as a whole works as a magic trick"
The cast of Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Crime Movies Now You See Me: Now You Don't lands the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of the series – but it's still only 60%
Anthony Ramos in A House of Dynamite
Thriller Movies Idris Elba's President deals with DEFCON 1 and the threat of nuclear armageddon in new trailer for Netflix's A House of Dynamite
Jesse Eisenberg in Now You See Me 3
Thriller Movies Now You See Me: Now You Don't popcorn bucket comes with an actual magic trick, and I love it so much
Tom Hanks in Sully
Movies The 32 greatest plane movies of all time
Glen Powell as Ben Richards in The Running Man
Action Movies The Running Man star Glen Powell says Top Gun: Maverick prepared him to lead Edgar Wright's action-packed Stephen King adaptation: "Don't take any shortcuts"
Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob in One Battle After Another
Action Movies One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic"
Trending
  • Black Friday gaming deals
  • Fallout Season 2
  • New Games for 2025
  • Gift Guides
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

Get the full debrief on Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

Features
By sfx published 21 July 2015

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Your sequel, should you choose to accept it...

Your sequel, should you choose to accept it...

With Rogue Nation only a few weeks away, it's time to brief yourself for what you can expect on your mission to the local cinema. Each Mission: Impossible film has come with a new director and the fifth one, Rogue Nation, is no exception. This time its Christopher McQuarrie, who has previously worked with Tom Cruise on Valkyrie, Jack Reacher and Edge Of Tomorrow. Setting out his vision for the film earlier this year, he said that, while still bringing the action, the feeling will be more like an episode of the 60s TV show, shot with an old school approach.

Rogue Nation will carry on from the ending of Ghost Protocol, where Ethan was alerted to a shady organisation called the Syndicate. Known in the original series for playing more of a domestic mob role (it was the 60s, after all), Rogue Nation will cast them as Mission: Impossibles SPECTRE: a near-mythical anti-IMF of global assassins and rogue operatives. Naturally, they must be taken down. Here's what we know about how it'll all go down...

Click here for more excellent SFX articles. Or maybe you want to take advantage of some great offers on magazine subscriptions? You can find them here.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Disband and conquer

Disband and conquer

Little is known about the elusive leader of the Syndicate, who is the main antagonist of Rogue Nation. The only information declassified so far is that hes played by Sean Harris, aka the ginger one from Prometheus. Whoever he is, lets hope hes more like Philip Seymour Hoffmans Owen Davian in M:I III than whatever-his-name-was from Ghost Protocol.

Given that theres an anti-IMF knocking around, it seems like mighty poor timing to disband the real thing. But thats what happens in Rogue Nation, courtesy of Alec Baldwins hostile head of the CIA, who you can probably bet on being a triple agent or something. This, yet again, leaves Ethan and co going rogue and requiring the help of another new cast member: Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen, Hercules), who plays mysterious badass Ilsa Faust. Again, dont be surprised when she rips off her face to reveal that shes really Alec Baldwin.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
The boys are back in town

The boys are back in town

The gang are back! Well, the men are. Reprising their roles are Jeremy Renner as IMF agent William Brandt, Simon Pegg as quasi-Q Benji Dunn and Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, the hacker whos been in every Mission: Impossible film so far. Apparently not returning, however, is Ghost Protocols Paula Patton, who joins the franchises list of women to have only appeared in one film. McQuarrie has said that he approached Patton and M:I IIIs Maggie Q to appear in Rogue Nation but both were unavailable.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Plane sailing

Plane sailing

Whether its scaling a building in Dubai or jumping up and down on Oprahs sofa, Tom Cruise is not afraid of outlandish stunts. And as you may have spied in the trailer, Rogue Nation features one of his biggest yet: hanging off an Airbus A400M aircraft being flown 5,000 feet above the English countryside. According to Cruise in an interview with Yahoo, its undoubtedly the most dangerous thing [Ive] ever done. However, McQuarrie teases that this death-defying stunt is actually one of two incredibly physically punishing things featured in the film.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
London calling

London calling

It wouldnt be a spy movie without clocking up some serious air miles. Vienna State Opera, Austria, sees Cruise and Ferguson performing some daring roof-top jumps, while Morocco is where well see Ethan racing an F80 BMW M3. Rogue Nations most dangerous location, though? London where Cruise nearly got hit by a double-decker bus.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
This feature will self-destruct in five seconds...

This feature will self-destruct in five seconds...

It seems that Christmas has come early, with Rogue Nation hitting cinemas six months before its original release date. The reason why is unknown, but it would be safe to assume that Paramount would like to avoid premiering after Novembers SPECTRE to then compete with the festive force that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. According to McQuarrie, its put pressure on post-production, saying were always in a hurry, now were in a big fin hurry. Still, coming out as a summer blockbuster is hardly going to compromise box-office security.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
sfx

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.

Read more
Mission Impossible movies in order: Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt hanging from a wire during the first Mission Impossible movie.
How to watch the Mission: Impossible movies in order
 
 
Rosamund Pike as Veronika Vanderberg in Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t star Rosamund Pike pulled from her James Bond roots to "deliver a villain" that’s "worthy" of the Four Horsemen
 
 
Tom Holland in the Uncharted movie
The 32 greatest movies for Uncharted fans to watch
 
 
A House of Dynamite
A House of Dynamite stars discuss Netflix's terrifyingly plausible nuclear thriller "The film is really well researched, down to a documentary level of detail"
 
 
Josh O'Connor as JB in The Mastermind
The Mastermind is a brilliantly frustrating anti-heist movie that defies expectations, and it's one of my favorite movies of the year
 
 
Yu Shu Lien from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The 32 greatest action films ever made
 
 
Latest in Movies
Avatar Fire and Ash
Avatar: Fire and Ash is tracking for a massive domestic opening, but below Way of Water
 
 
The Wolf of Wall Street
Quentin Tarantino begins his best movies of the 21st Century list with a nuclear hot take: "I don't think Scorsese has made a film this exciting [this century]"
 
 
Baby Yoda and some Anzellans in The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer
A new Mandalorian and Grogu trailer is currently playing in theaters, and it shows off more of Zeb Orrelios and Baby Yoda destroying a droid
 
 
Jake Sully in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Disney boss Bob Iger called Avatar 3 "magnificent" and even shot down executive notes, according to James Cameron
 
 
Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars: Starfighter
Star Wars: Starfighter director says the biggest inspiration for his film is Return of the Jedi: "I know the cool answer would be Empire"
 
 
Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher and Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis in Scream
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 star Matthew Lillard says he and his Scream "husband" Skeet Ulrich are "supposed to" do at least one more FNAF movie together: "I think where the relationship goes is really interesting"
 
 
Latest in Features
The Big Preview art of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era showing a vampire holding a glowing skull
The Big Preview for Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era – Exclusive dev access and hands-on with the strategy RPG revival
 
 
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Stranger Things season 5 cave explained: what is it, how does it connect to the Upside Down, and why is Vecna scared of it?
 
 
A collection of controllers from 2025 scattered around a desktop, with a Black Friday deals stamp in the middle of them
The best Black Friday controller deals in 2025: PS5, Xbox, PC, and Switch picks from an expert reviewer
 
 
Noah Schnapp in Stranger Things season 5
Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 ending explained: who dies and how those huge revelations set up volume 2
 
 
Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Endgame mode fighting zombies while VTOL aircraft flies in
Black Ops 7's Endgame can't decide if it wants to be Destiny 2 or Call of Duty, and it's a muddy addition that makes me miss simpler co-op campaigns
 
 
A knight on horseback leads the charge against another army in classic Heroes of Might and Magic 3 key art, with the GamesRadar+ Big Preview frame
Revisiting Heroes 3 after 20 years has made me realize that Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era may have already surpassed it
 
 
  1. Escape from Tarkov review
    1
    Escape from Tarkov review: "An extraction shooter that will make you truly miserable if you let it, but can offer dizzying highs you won't find elsewhere"
  2. 2
    Fans think this is the best strategy board game ever made, and I have to admit that they've got a point
  3. 3
    Constance review: "If Hollow Knight: Silksong seems too daunting, this wonderful paint powered adventure should do nicely"
  4. 4
    This enthralling team board game is perfect for playing with family this Thanksgiving
  5. 5
    Kirby Air Riders review: "This racer is also equal parts fighting game, minigame collection, and roguelike – and I'm shocked at how well that works"
  1. Josh O'Connor and Daniel Craig in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
    1
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  2. 2
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  3. 3
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  4. 4
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  5. 5
    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
  1. Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
    1
    Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
  2. 2
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  3. 3
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  4. 4
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  5. 5
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...