Get the full debrief on Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

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...

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.