Next ‘Mission: Impossible’ Films Add ‘Agent Carter’ Star Hayley Atwell [UPDATED]
Hayley Atwell, the once and future Peggy Carter actress in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is going to be joining a different cinematic universe of spies: she’s the latest addition to the nextMission: Impossiblefilm. That’sMission: Impossible 7, for those keeping track at home, and while it’s rare for a franchise to feel like it’s at its peak after half a dozen films, last year’sMission: Impossible – Falloutwas such a high point that we’re completely amped to see whatTom Cruiseand directorChris McQuarriedo with it next – and Atwell has us even more excited for it.
Hayley Atwell Mission Impossible Casting
Talk about perfect casting: we’re about to see Hayley Atwell in aMission: Impossiblefilm. The actress has already proven she can operate perfectly within the bounds of a spy thriller, but I was moved by her heartbreaking performance in theBlack Mirrorepisode “Be Right Back,” in which she communicates with an artificial intelligence designed to mimic her boyfriend who died in a car crash. So while she’s clearly capable of kicking some ass and looking damn good while doing it (a staple of theMission: Impossible franchise), she can also go toe to toe with the rest of the cast in terms of the more dramatic moments in these movies.
Atwell is having one hell of a summer. Along with dancing her way into everyone’s hearts in the final seconds ofAvengers: Endgame(the biggest movie of all time), we found out thatshe’ll be lending her voice to the animated version of the characteron the Disney+ seriesWhat If?, in a story imaginingwhat would happenif Peggy was the one who becomes a government super soldier instead of Steve Rogers. Atwell also had a supporting role in this summer’sBlinded by the Lightand just appeared in the trailer for theupcoming Netflix seriesCriminal.
Here’s the call from Christopher McQuarrie on Instagram:
And here’s part of Atwell’s response (she posted nine photos, each with the a sliver of that same photo and the same caption across all nine):
It’s unclear if Atwell will just be in the next film, or if she will stick around forMission: Impossible 8as well, since the two sequels arebeing shot back to back. Details about her character are still under lock and key, but based on her caption (“I’m not the sort to follow orders”), we may have just met a new villain to replace Henry Cavill’s mustachioed August Walker.
UPDATE: Hayley Atwell has confirmed she is in both the seventh and eighth installments in a new Instagram post:
As for McQuarrie, he knows he has a lot to live up to.Earlier this summer, he told Empire, “I pitched the idea of making two movies, and now I have to justify why it’s two movies. You’ve got to earn that. You’ve got to make something that swallows the last three movies whole. I’m freaked out now. We’ve talked ourselves into something. Holy shit.”
Mission: Impossible 7blasts into theaters onJuly 23, 2021andMission: Impossible 8arrives just over a year later onAugust 5, 2022.
