Jeremy Renner Confirms That Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible Rumor You Heard Is False

Jeremy Renner's two outings as IMF agent William Brandt in the Mission: Impossible series made an impact. There was even speculation that he was being groomed to take the reins from Tom Cruise as the action franchise's leading man. However, the Marvel star has finally come clean about those reports, revealing that they were nothing more than rumors.

"No, it was always Tom's show, that would be a Tom decision, if he ever wanted to change that narrative," Renner told the podcast "Happy Sad Confused." "And as he's maturing as an actor, he kinda wants to hold on. He's doing Top Gun again, right? He's rebooting that, and [leaning] into the things in his life that he's comfortable with now ... the guy's a beast and works harder than anyone I know."

Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible stunts make his colleagues hold their breath. As such, some people probably want him to stop playing Ethan Hunt for his own safety. Unfortunately for those concerned citizens, Cruise has no intention of stepping down for years to come.

Rumors about Tom Cruise stepping down from the Mission: Impossible franchise weren't just plucked from thin air. The original ending of "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" teased Ethan Hunt becoming a secretary, paving the way for some other daredevil to scale skyscrapers and leap out of airplanes. However, those plans changed after Christopher McQuarrie was hired to rewrite the project and decided to keep Hunt in the field.

Of course, it's worth noting that Cruise probably didn't want his character to accept an office job. Despite being in his 60s, he hopes to keep testing his limits, as he wants to give a Hollywood legend a run for his money. "Harrison Ford is a legend; I hope to still be going; I've got 20 years to catch up with him. I hope to keep making Mission: Impossible films until I'm his age," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Fans don't have too long to wait for the next movie either. "Mission: Impossible 8" will be released in May 2025, and Cruise will undoubtedly blow people's minds with more outrageous stunts that defy physics and his age. Meanwhile, Jeremy Renner, hopes to keep making Marvel projects following his near-death experience in 2023. Fingers crossed both actors get their wishes.