Mission: Impossible Director Nearly Brought Back Alec Baldwin for Dead Reckoning

Alec Baldwin joined the Mission: Impossible franchise as Hunley in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation before his character was killed in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, with director Christopher McQuarrie confirming that he toyed with bringing the character back for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Unlike other franchises, when a character in Mission: Impossible is killed, they typically don't come back from the dead in a surprise twist, with the filmmaker instead confirming that the sequence he toyed with would have been a flashback scene that cemented the connection Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt had with Hunley before his untimely death in Fallout.

"Berlin had been calling our name. There was originally an opening of this movie that began with Tom and Alec Baldwin walking along the Berlin Wall. They're walking along the wall and you slowly realize it's the Berlin Wall. And it's Alec Baldwin talking to Ethan about his life as a spy, how he became a spy," McQuarrie shared with the Empire Spoiler Specials podcast. "And you realize it's him counseling Ethan. You're seeing a glimpse into the friendship of these two characters that existed prior to Fallout. And you cut and Tom is standing at his grave, having heard the words of wisdom from Alec, and he's just looking at a gravestone that says 'Hunley.' And that notion of Alec Baldwin being a spirit guide to Ethan in his memory was a very, very early idea to the story, something I was keenly interested in."

With McQuarrie outright revealing what his plans would have been for Hunley, it seems like the filmmaker won't be repurposing this idea for the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two. However, some fans can't help hoping that another beloved character could make a comeback for the upcoming sequel.

Back in 2011, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol introduced Jeremy Renner's Brandt to help Ethan Hunt pull off a mission, with Brandt then returning to play a key role in Rogue Nation. Due to scheduling conflicts, Renner wasn't able to return for Fallout and was subsequently absent from Dead Reckoning, though his whereabouts are entirely unknown within the franchise. Given that Dead Reckoning Part One saw the death of Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust, the sequel could organically bring back any number of Ethan's former teammates to lend assistance, with fans likely being more than happy to see Brandt make a return to the franchise.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two currently has a June 28, 2024 release date.

Do you wish Baldwin had appeared in the movie? Let us know in the comments!