Mission: Impossible director says they would "not have done" one of Final Reckoning's most dangerous stunts if they "knew what it took to do it"

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is soon set to launch into theaters and it will feature one of Tom Cruise's most dangerous stunts yet. It will see Ethan Hunt diving into a wreckage and required the team to fill a real submarine interior with water that could tilt 360 degrees.

Described as tumbling Cruise like a washing machine in the new issue of People magazine, the stunt required Cruise to breathe his own carbon dioxide rather than using a scuba mask. Speaking to the publication, the actor explained the reasoning behind it.

"You’re not going to feel as connected with the character if I went with a regular mask and a thing in my mouth to breathe," Cruise said. "Luckily when you’re flying jets you train for hypoxia and for carbon dioxide buildup. You start to be able to perceive your body and how it’s reacting so that I knew when to stop."

However, it was so dangerous that director Christopher McQuarrie explained, "If we knew what it took to do it, we would not have done it."

Final Reckoning is the eighth movie in the franchise and could very well be the last. Everyone involved is keeping tight-lipped on that definitive sounding title, but McQuarrie did tease that it was apt.

"It is, I hope, the satisfying conclusion to a 30-year story arc," he told Empire magazine. "I'm pretty confident that people are going to feel that the title was appropriate."

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is released on May 21. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies and 2025 movie release dates you need to know about.