Summary

The latest Mission: Impossible trailer hints at Tom Cruise performing a potentially unprecedented underwater stunt involving a submarine.
News media evidence further suggests that Cruise may have been shot out of a submarine's torpedo tube in The Final Reckoning.
The movie promises to push stunt action to its limits, potentially ending the franchise with an explosive bang.

Rumors that Tom Cruise attempts an unheard-of stunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning are looking more true than ever with the most recent trailer and some unique evidence. The Final Reckoning looks to potentially bring the Mission: Impossible franchise to a close, picking up after the events of 2023's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, which saw the IMF taking on an AI enemy known as The Entity. Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, and he's joined by Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Nick Offerman, and Hannah Waddingham.

While Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning's plot remains vague, the movie will continue its pursuit of The Entity. The film's marketing campaign is leaning into the action and stunts that both the franchise and Cruise have become known for. The trailer sees Cruise jumping off an aircraft carrier, plunging into icy waters, and dangling off planes in death-defying stunts. However, the trailer also has sufficient evidence to point towards Cruise pulling off one incredible stunt that the movie may still be keeping under wraps.

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Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning's Big Stunt Looks Impressive, But Feels Disappointingly Familiar

Unfortunately, Cruise's latest isn't just familiar, it's one we've literally seen him do multiple times before

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By Fletcher Bailey

The Final Reckoning Trailer Hints At Tom Cruise's Most Intense Stunt Yet

mission impossible final reckoning tom cruise Outside Sub — Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise outside submarine

The Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning trailer is rife with tantalizing moments to enrapture potential audiences. While it packs what one would expect from Cruise's stunt-filled flagship action series, he is front and center, along with a team of capable friends and agents to aid in the tasks at hand. Much of the trailer's runtime is dedicated to recognizable faces and jaw-dropping moments. However, numerous moments show Cruise performing underwater stunts, many of which involve a submarine.

Dead Reckoning Part One featured a Russian stealth submarine sunk by The Entity, which is revealed as a United States AI program gone rogue. Since the film's 2023 release rumors have swirled that Tom Cruise may perform a stunt that sees him get shot out of a torpedo tube on a submarine.

As the trailer shows, Cruise is spending a significant amount of time underwater, much of which is inside a submarine. The sub looks to be falling off an underwater cliff, with Cruise's Ethan trapped inside as it fills with water. The trailer even features a shot of a torpedo falling into a water-filled compartment within the submarine. This hints that the torpedo room is a location Cruise will have to contend with. And what better way to get free than a quick shot out of the torpedo tube?

Australian News Media Adds Potential Evidence, Showing The Torpedo Tube

mission impossible final reckoning tom cruise diving — Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise diving

Cruise and the team behind the Mission: Impossible films are generally upfront about teasing their big stunts, like showing Ethan scaling the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol or jumping a motorcycle off a cliff in Dead Reckoning Part One. However, they often keep several thrills for the awe of discovery on the big screen. As with Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which teased Cruise dangling from a helicopter, it ultimately proved to be a mere morsel of how long and dangerous the scene was. This may very well be the case with Cruise's torpedo launch stunt, if it is in the film. The lengthy underwater shots might hint at the larger stunt that audiences won't see until they are in theaters.

Luckily, the Australian morning news program Sunrise shared a video on TikTok that sheds some more light on the possible torpedo stunt. The video sees reporter Ash Mullany delving into the stunts of The Final Reckoning. She first stands behind a large fan, simulating the air hitting Cruise while performing his plane stunts, until about 10 seconds in. The video then cuts to shots from Final Reckoning, seeing the torpedo splash down into the water and Ethan masking up as water envelops him on the submarine.

At the 18-second mark, the video provides one of the best pieces of evidence yet, as Mullany states, "This is the torpedo tube where Tom was filming." She proceeds to show the tube, stating he was "being blasted with water, and he was lying inside here," before climbing into the tube herself, with the crew closing it over top of her. Check out Sunrise's video below:

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Is Pushing Stunt Action To Its Limits

mission impossible final reckoning tom cruise plane — Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise hanging from plane

All the evidence is there to point to Cruise getting shot out of a torpedo tube on a sub. Knowing the actor's demands for practicality as much as possible, it would be done with as little CGI as possible. That ultimately means that if The Final Reckoning does end up featuring the stunt, Cruise would likely have found a way to practically turn into a human torpedo. However, he wouldn't be the first super spy to pull off such a feat. James Bond was shot out of a torpedo tube in The World Is Not Enough, only to swim around the outside to another part of the submarine, where he reenters. Still, Cruise would likely be the first actor to do the stunt himself.

Even if Cruise isn't launched through the water like a meat torpedo, The Final Reckoning is potentially setting itself up to end the franchise with a bang. The biplane stunt sequence that permeates the marketing campaign looks to be a rather lengthy one. And the actor is clearly spending plenty of time performing aquatic stunts, including a scene that sees him submerged under ice. With each awe-inspiring moment done as practically as possible, the series is setting up a sequel that could be the most bombastic yet, leaving nothing on the table if this turns out to be the end. Furthermore, it is set to be the longest entry in the franchise, with a runtime of 2 hours and 49 minutes. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning promises some of the best stunts ever put to film, and if the evidence proves true, Cruise will be performing an unheard-of stunt when he is launched out of a torpedo tube.

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