This past weekend, Mission: Impossible - Fallout made waves throughout Hollywood, not only achieving the highest opening for the 20+ year old franchise, but the best reviews for an action movie in years. With an "A" Cinemascore it is no doubt that audiences are enjoying the hell out of Tom Cruise's latest flick.
But during its development, one question had always been looming - Where is Brandt?
Following his appearances in Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation, it became clear Jeremy Renner fit well within the team. Additionally, after Rogue Nation debuted his inclusion in Fallout seemed like a given. Reportedly, scheduling conflicts with Avengers prevented him from appearing. But it turns out that Renner could have had a crucial cameo in the sequel, one that the actor smartly passed on for different reasons. During a spoiler interview with Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie, the visionary spilled the info regarding the situation.
Jeremy had his commitment to Avengers, which ironically they ended up not exercising . . . So I said to Renner, ‘Hey listen, I have this idea for an opening sequence where you sacrifice yourself to save the team, and that the mission-gone-wrong not only involves losing the plutonium, but involves the death of a team member.’ And Jeremy was like, ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ . . . He was smart not to take the short paycheck for three days of work and getting blown up.
That's right folks, Renner would have been a dead man. For those who had seen the film, it can be assumed that Brandt was supposed to take Luther's spot in the exchange, but with a completely different outcome. Thankfully the idea did not come into fruition, allowing the actor to appear in sequels down the road.
Do you think Renner should have accepted the mission?