Hayley Atwell Teases Mission: Impossible 8 Will Be Impacted by Audience Reactions

Even almost three decades into the franchise, Mission: Impossible continues to experience firsts. The first trilogy of films largely operated as standalone stories, with only Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and Ving Rhames's Luther Stickell returning for sequel installments. It was when Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol came around that the movies began to tie into each other closer, as evident by Rogue Nation and Fallout using the same antagonist. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning doubles down on that connectivity, as it is a story that is being split into two parts.

While the structure for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two's story has already been built, Cruise and company are waiting on one key aspect before fully constructing the sequel.

"I think also what they're doing is they want to see the audience reaction to it. It's all for the audience," Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning star Hayley Atwell told Happy Sad Confused. "I had dinner with Tom last night and he was like, 'Eight is phenomenal.' You believe it and I believe it. What they've already shot is so emotional. This one really sets up what will happen next."

Atwell places Grace, a newcomer to the Mission: Impossible franchise.

"For her, it's an origin story, this first one," Atwell said of Grace's role within Part One. "The shift she makes with her own value system in this, by the end, is so huge. The next thing is going, 'Well how do I make sure she doesn't plateau there now and just stay there? What becomes her next skill set? How does she develop? That would be up to me but also up to us discussing it."

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is in theaters now.

Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which premiered in theaters on July 12th. It's the beginning of the end for the action-packed franchise, as Cruise reteams with longtime collaborator and filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie for more death-defying and breathtaking stunts. Hunt and allies Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) attempt to track down a new weapon with the power to tear the world apart. Actors Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Esai Morales join the cast for the latest installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, which is set to wrap up with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.