Michelle Monaghan Celebrates 15th Anniversary of Mission: Impossible III

Tom Cruise and company are currently busy filming Mission: Impossible 7 and will soon start production on Mission: Impossible 8. Like many franchises, the M:I movies have a long history, and today, May 5th, marks a special anniversary. Mission: Impossible III, the only movie in the franchise to be helmed by JJ Abrams, was released on this date in 2006. The third Mission: Impossible isn’t necessarily a fan-favorite of the franchise (although, many would argue that Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian is the best villain of the bunch), the movie did pave the way for the most recent films, especially Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Michelle Monaghan, who made her debut in the third film as Julia Meade, took to Instagram today to mark the 15th anniversary of her first movie in the franchise.

“I mean, WOW. 15 years since the release of #MissionImpossible III! 😍🔥 This franchise brings back so many amazing memories and I’m so grateful to have been along for the ride. Happy anni @tomcruise, forever the Ethan to my Julia. ❤️,” Monaghan wrote. You can check out her post below:

Monaghan is not currently expected to appear in Mission: Impossible 7 or Mission: Impossible 8, but if Fallout ends up being her last in the franchise, she certainly went out with a bang. However, there are plenty of other exciting returning stars in the upcoming movie.

In addition to Cruise, Ving Rhames will be reprising his role as Luther Stickell, making him the only other person to appear in every movie besides Cruise. Simon Pegg, who also made his franchise debut in Mission: Impossible III, is returning as Benji Dunn. Other returning actors include Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and Angela Bassett. Marvel stars Pom Klementieff and Hayley Atwell will also be making their M:I debut in the seventh installment. Recently, it was announced that Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2), Charles Parnell (Top Gun: Maverick), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), and Cary Elwes (Stranger Things) would be joining the cast. Henry Czerny will also be returning as Eugene Kittridge, which will mark his first appearance in the franchise since the first film was released in 1996.

Mission: Impossible 7 is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 27, 2022. Mission: Impossible 8 was planned for November 4, 2022, but it’s likely it will be pushed back.