One of the greatest pleasures of the last Mission: Impossible film was the addition of several excellent secondary characters for Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt to play against. This makes it very encouraging to hear that many of the same leads will be returning for Mission: Impossible 5. Simon Pegg has already confirmed his return alongside Cruise, and now we can add Jeremy Renner to the cast members who are unofficially on board for the film.
While speaking with Yahoo (via /Film), Renner more or less confirmed his return to the franchise. After being asked whether he’d be interested in a part in True Detective, Renner reminded Yahoo that he has a number of franchises he’s already working for. Alongside The Avengers and the next Bourne sequel, Renner included Mission: Impossible 5 as reasons why he’s unlikely to do True Detective:
It’s kind of unlikely. In fact, I’m kind of strapped time-wise doing Avengers 2, and Mission: Impossible 5 is rearing its head, and then they want to do another Bourne movie. It’s unlikely I can find the time right now. And that’s all right. It’s just really high-class problems — pretty awesome to have. Even if I really wanted to do it, which I don’t, I couldn’t.
So, while this is not an official announcement, it seems that Renner expects to be returning to his part as William Brandt in the next installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. This makes Paula Patton the only major actor from Ghost Protocol that is yet to confirm (or deny) involvement.
It would be nice to see the whole gang back together for Mission: Impossible 5. Ghost Protocol was a pleasant surprise following some sub-par outings, largely due to the strong supporting cast surrounding Cruise. As likeable as Ethan Hunt can be, he seems to work better as part of a team.
Renner does have his work cut out for him right now though. He’s currently filming Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the next Bourne film is set for a 2015 release date. He’ll be seen in Kill The Messenger, due out this fall, and has provided narration on the history miniseries The World Wars.
Mission: Impossible 5 is already scheduled to open Christmas Day in December 2015, so they better get a move on.