Jeremy Renner May Replace Cruise in "Mission: Impossible" Films

Jeremy Renner May Replace Cruise in "Mission: Impossible" Films

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

Ever since he caught the attention of audiences with his riveting portrayal of a soldier addicted to war in last year’s “The Hurt Locker,” Jeremy Renner has been a big name in Hollywood. His performance in Boston crime thriller “The Town” added heaps of nervous tension to an already impressive heist picture, and he’s going to be joining the recent string of successful superhero films in the upcoming “The Avengers.” If the rising star didn’t have enough on his plate, he also took a role in the latest entry of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Word is that if all goes well, Renner just might replace Tom Cruise as the star if any other sequels are made.

Cinematical, which reported this story, is quick to point out that this idea isn’t set in stone. After all, no one knows exactly how successful the next “Mission: Impossible” movie is going to be, so there’s no telling where the series will go in the future. Renner himself seems confident, though, having said, “I can't predict the future and what they want, but that's certainly the idea.”

In the meantime, we’ll be interested in seeing how he fares in the latest installment. Renner’s recent work has been gritty and unflinching, but with Brad Bird directing this film, it’s difficult to predict what we can expect. Brian De Palma made the first one into a paranoid espionage thriller, Ang Lee turned the second one into a slick wire-fu extravaganza, and J.J. Abrams basically shot a long (but entertaining) episode of “Alias” for the third film. Bird has previously worked in animated family films and this picture will be a big departure for him. We’ll have to wait and see how Renner fits into his plans.

As a replacement for Cruise, he makes a good choice. They’re both all-American enough to fit the role this series demands, but Renner also has a distinct personality that will allow him to carve his own nice in the franchise. He seems more blue-collar than Cruise and not as immediately identifiable as a celebrity.

Whether this pans out for Renner is yet to be seen, but he’s still got a strong career ahead of him and will give audiences a lot to look forward to.