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 - The Final Reckoning
Mission Impossible Movies Even Ethan Hunt would be proud of the way Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was streamed for free on YouTube – and it involves Morse code
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
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
Godzilla attacks a boat in Godzilla Minus One.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
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"
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
The Woman in Cabin 10
Thriller Movies Netflix releases first trailer for Keira Knightley's new thriller, and it's like The Girl on the Train but on a luxury yacht
Tom Hanks in Sully
Movies The 32 greatest plane movies of all time
Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares reviews, release date, trailer, cast, plot, and everything you need to know about the sci-fi sequel
Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc and Rev. Jud Duplenticy in Wake Up Dead Man
Mystery Movies First Knives Out 3 trailer sees Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc return to solve a "holy" and "unsolvable" mystery
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"
Father Jud in the back seat of Benoit Blanc's car talking to Benoit
Netflix New Knives Out 3 plot details tease what could be a matter of death and life for Benoit Blanc
Trending
  • Black Ops 7 release time
  • New Games for 2025
  • Early Black Friday deals
  • 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 - The Final Reckoning
Even Ethan Hunt would be proud of the way Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was streamed for free on YouTube – and it involves Morse code
 
 
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
 
 
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
Joker 2
Lady Gaga "started laughing" as Joker: Folie à Deux reactions came in, because they were "just getting so unhinged"
 
 
Matt Damon in Oppenheimer
Matt Damon calls Christopher Nolan's Odyssey "the best experience" of his career: "I saw the horse on the beach and I was just like, 'F***'"
 
 
Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Link in The Legends of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda movie leak shows Nintendo's princess in her Breath of the Wild outfit, hinting that the film might be an adaptation of the 2017 Switch game
 
 
Multi-colored Labubu dolls jumping and sliding on rainbow surfaces in a space-like scene
The inevitable has happened as a Labubu movie is reportedly in the works
 
 
Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Dominic Sessa, Dave Franco, Justice Smith, Isla Fisher, and Ariana Greenblatt in Now You See Me: Now You Don't
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 Star Trek (2009): Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Karl Urban as Bones, John Cho as Sulu, and Zoe Saldaña as Uhura.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves directors will helm a new Star Trek film that reportedly features an all-new setting and characters unrelated to previous movies or shows
 
 
Latest in Features
Minecraft screenshot with Xbox Series X five year anniversary overlay
Minecraft is a testament to player creativity above all else – and 16 years later, no other game comes close
 
 
Winter Burrow artwork showing the protagonist mouse looking out over a snowy landscape towards the burrow. The GamesRadar+ Indie Spotlight logo is in the top right-hand corner of the image
Winter Burrow is like a very cozy, laid back Don't Starve with a bittersweet edge that tugs at the heartstrings
 
 
An explorer in Starfield wearing a red leather jacket standing in front of a fireplace
Two years later, Starfield remains the game Bethesda wanted to make all along – and it was never meant to be a crowd-pleaser
 
 
Golshifteh Farahani and Mélissa Boros in Alpha
Titane director Julia Ducournau's new movie is lighter on the body horror, but stays rooted in the same messy, moving family drama
 
 
Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2.
New on Disney Plus in December 2025: all the latest movies and shows streaming this month
 
 
Key art for God of War Ragnarok showing Kratos and Atreus trying to repel attacking with Freya while sledding through a forest, with the PS5 five year anniversary GamesRadar+ frame along the side
God of War: Ragnarok shows us the value of a slower pace and not playing by the rules – no PS5 game feels as definitively epic
 
 
  1. Key art of Kagan squatting with a gun in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
    1
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 review-in-progress: "I respect Treyarch's attempt to go bonkers and make the weirdest Call of Duty possible"
  2. 2
    Possessor(s) review: "Smart ideas are quickly buried in this demonic Metroidvania that's far too mundane and dull in a sea of sharp competition"
  3. 3
    Lumines Arise review: "Just as effective as Tetris Effect, block matching to a beat becomes a transcendent experience"
  4. 4
    Anno 117: Pax Romana review: "Whether dealing with rivals through warfare or diplomacy, there's a great deal to like in this engrossing city builder"
  5. 5
    Arc Raiders review: "The most memorable multiplayer experiences I've had all year – this shooter is tense but wonderfully approachable"
  1. Glen Powell as Ben Richards in The Running Man
    1
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  2. 2
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  3. 3
    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
  4. 4
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  5. 5
    One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic"
  1. Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, looking scared, in Pluribus.
    1
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  2. 2
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  3. 3
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  4. 4
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  5. 5
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"

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...