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.