Nicholas Hoult Joins Mission: Impossible 7 and 8

The upcoming Mission: Impossible sequels are continuing to amass an impressive array of actors, with X-Men and Tolkien star Nicholas Hoult taking to Instagram to confirm that he would be joining the endeavors. It’s unclear what role he might be playing in the upcoming films, but with the star’s post including the hashtag #MI78, we can assume he won’t merely be joining for one of the adventures and will star in both films. Hoult will be starring alongside Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Pom Klementieff, and Shea Whigham, with Mission: Impossible 7 set to land in theaters in July of 2021 and Mission: Impossible 8 debuting in August of 2022.

The actor shared an image of himself with the caption, “Love to. Though why stop at a little?” which was likely meant to be a reference that he wouldn’t settle for only starring in one of the sequels.

The first film in the series debuted in 1996 and, over the course of two sequels, the franchise began to dwindle in popularity. 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol became a surprising success, earning the series some of its strongest reviews, a trend which continued with 2015’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. That film marked the debut of Christopher McQuarrie as a director in the franchise, who returned for 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which continued to grow the franchise’s popularity.

Of the many compelling elements of the series, one of the standout components has been its embrace of practical effects for its impressive stunt sequences, with star Cruise often going above and beyond the call of duty to make the riveting sequences look more authentic. Delivering back-to-back sequels is a tall order for the filmmaking team, which McQuarrie has previously confirmed was intimidating.

“I pitched the idea of making two movies, and now I have to justify why it’s two movies,” McQuarrie revealed last year to Empire. “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 sh-t.”

Stay tuned for details on the upcoming Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 before they land in theaters in July of 2021 and August of 2022.

Are you excited to see the actor join the films? Let us know in the comments below!