HAWKEYE Star Jeremy Renner Explains Why He Chose To Exit The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Franchise

HAWKEYE Star Jeremy Renner Explains Why He Chose To Exit The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Franchise

There was a time when it looked like Jeremy Renner's William Brandt would become the new face of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Now, The Avengers star has explained why he chose to walk away from it.

By JoshWilding - May 28, 2024 08:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Mission: Impossible
Source: Collider (via ActioNewz.com)

We were first introduced to William Brandt in 2011's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Played by Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner, it was widely reported when he was cast that the actor was being eyed to take over the franchise from Tom Cruise.

The Bourne Legacy's poor performance the following year is rumoured to have led to those plans being scrapped, as did Cruise deciding he wanted to stick around as Ethan Hunt after all. 

Renner did, however, return for Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, only to have disappeared by the time Fallout rolled around (it was briefly mentioned that the character "retired").

Talking to Collider (via ActioNewz.com) about Mayor of Kingstown season 3, Renner elaborated on his departure from the Mission: Impossible franchise, and it sounds like he was the one who chose to walk away from the popular action franchise. 

"Yeah. I had to leave that. I was supposed to do more with them," he explained. "I love those guys. I love Tom [Cruise] so much. We had so much fun, and I love that character a lot. It requires a lot of time away. It’s all in London. I had to go be a dad. It just wasn't gonna work out then."

Despite that, the Avengers: Endgame star isn't closing the door on possibly reprising the role if asked. "Maybe now that my daughter is older that could happen. I'd always jump into a Mission: Impossible anytime and back into Brandt. It’s great," Renner said. 

Brandt was initially assigned by the IMF to protect Ethan Hunt and his wife Julia in Croatia. After his team failed to do this and Julia was allegedly killed, Brandt asked to be removed from field duty, due to not wanting to go through a life-or-death situation again.

Brandt then became Chief Analyst to the Secretary of the IMF. He became a field agent again after a new mission with Ethan Hunt and his team.

In Mission: Impossible 8, Cruise will reprise his role as Ethan Hunt alongside returning stars Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Hayley Atwell, Shea Whigham, and Pom Klementieff.

New additions to the franchise include Janet McTeer, Hannah Waddingham, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Katy O'Brian, and Tramell Tillman.

Over the holiday weekend, we heard yet another report about issues behind the scenes, this time relating to a pricey submarine stunt gone wrong. You can read more about that by clicking here.

Christopher McQuarrie directs Mission: Impossible 8 ahead of its planned May 23, 2025 release.

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HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 5/28/2024, 8:13 AM
He's a better replacement for Hunt then that retarded Tom Holland rumour.
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 5/28/2024, 8:15 AM
@HashTagSwagg

lol where did you read Holland was replacing Cruise?
BobGarlen
BobGarlen - 5/28/2024, 8:46 AM
@HashTagSwagg - Honestly if they want a replacement they should try to get Glenn Powell. The Guy is a rising star, has already worked with Cruise, and would be able to maintain a level of charisma in the franchise.
philinterrupted
philinterrupted - 5/28/2024, 10:49 AM
@BobGarlen - Glenn Powell just comes off to me as a guy who’s the flavor of the month. I think the hype is going to burn out. Same happened to Sam Worthington.
BobGarlen
BobGarlen - 5/28/2024, 11:17 AM
@philinterrupted - it all depends on if he can keep up with quality projects.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/28/2024, 4:08 PM
@BobGarlen - ya doing a sequel to Twister ain't gonna help
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/28/2024, 8:26 AM
That’s fair , family comes first (wasn’t he also going through a divorce at the time aswell?).

I don’t remember them mentioning he had retired in Fallout but I could be wrong but regardless , i would be down to see Brandt again…

I enjoyed the character and his chemistry/dynamic with other members of the team so I do hope we see him again if 8 isn’t atleast Cruise’s last one.

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cyclopsprime
cyclopsprime - 5/28/2024, 8:49 AM
@TheVisionary25 - yes he was dealing with divorce at that time
xfan320
xfan320 - 5/28/2024, 8:27 AM
How about we just promote Tom Cruise to the Director of the IMF and make a movie about him putting together the next generation of super spies with all his prior costars' help??

I'd watch it.
thewanderer
thewanderer - 5/28/2024, 8:58 AM
@xfan320 - I’d watch that bit I also don’t think Cruise, or Hunt, could stay on the sidelines. You’d have to kill his character off I think at some point during the movie.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 5/28/2024, 8:33 AM
I'm not gonna read all that sh1t but wasn't this explained like 5 years ago? didn't they plan on killing him off at the beginning of one of the films and he said phuck that?
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 5/28/2024, 8:40 AM
@harryba11zack

Christopher McQuarrie elaborated further while speaking with Empire, saying "Jeremy had his commitment to Avengers, which ironically they ended up not exercising, and we didn’t know what the [sixth Mission] movie was, so we couldn’t provide a schedule. We needed absolute freedom. The unfortunate thing for Jeremy is that he got caught in this perfect storm of, one can’t use you and one doesn’t know how to, given the massive complications they had with Avengers."

Google is your friend.
LSHF
LSHF - 5/28/2024, 8:38 AM
I've enjoyed the last few M.I. films more the most of the James Bond movies, and I'm looking forward to more of them (as long as they keep some teams; no solo outings).
S8R8M
S8R8M - 5/28/2024, 11:43 AM
I remember him doing a interview and saying he didn't come back because they were going to kill him off in Fallout.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/28/2024, 11:49 AM
Are those two paragraphs about that Croatia mission and becoming a field analyst ever mentioned in the movies? Because I don't remember anything about that.

Anyway, I'm kinda hoping they were bringing everybody back for the last one. Including Renner. I liked his character, so maybe he'll show up again in the future (maybe as the next IMF director?)
SpiderBloke2099
SpiderBloke2099 - 5/28/2024, 2:43 PM
@bkmeijer1 - yes, that was all explained in Ghost Protocol. It's his character's backstory.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/28/2024, 4:40 PM
@SpiderBloke2099 - thanks. I'll probably rewatch them all before MI8, so maybe I should pay attention then.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 5/28/2024, 1:38 PM

I think he is an excellent actor, and I'll watch whatever he turns up in. He has been in so many excellent movies, and Hawkeye was my favorite D+ show.

So there!
SpiderBloke2099
SpiderBloke2099 - 5/28/2024, 2:45 PM
They should do at least one more after 8 and bring back Renner, Paula Patton and Maggie Q and that helicopter pilot from 2, Billy Baird, the character was called.
PartyKiller
PartyKiller - 5/29/2024, 10:18 AM
Bourne Legacy was better than Jason Bourne. I remember watching it and being impressed by Oscar Isaac and noticed he looked similar to a young Stallone. Thought he might become a big actor, had no idea he would do such terrible shit like Disney's Star Wars fan fiction, X-Men Apocalypse, Moon Knight.

Legacy could've made more money but it needed some kind of big, special moment that would go viral and get people talking. But it was a solid movie.
l0rdleg0las
l0rdleg0las - 5/29/2024, 1:15 PM
@PartyKiller - Legacy always felt like a movie that was missing the last 20 minutes. It ends abruptly and isn't satisfying

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