Mission: Impossible 8 director says the latest movie features "the most difficult thing we've ever done" – and it's got the perfect first reaction from an early screening: "I almost had a heart attack"

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One audience member says they were "suffocating throughout the entire sequence"

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
(Image credit: Paramount)

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning director Christopher McQuarrie says the upcoming eighth instalment of the Tom Cruise-led action franchise features "the most difficult thing" they've ever done in the series – and it's already received a perfect first reaction from an early viewer.

"We had a small screening and someone said, 'I was suffocating throughout the entire sequence. I almost had a heart attack.' And I thought, 'I guess we did something right," McQuarrie told Empire of the unnamed sequence.

The Final Reckoning title and ties to its franchise past in the shape of Mission: Impossible 3's Rabbit's Foot all indicates that this is going to act as a farewell to Ethan Hunt – but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Besides, the audience has to survive this one first.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Pom Klementieff, hits cinemas on May 23, 2025.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.