Jeremy Renner begins his career comeback this weekend with the premiere of “Mayor Of Kingstown” Season 3 on Paramount+. But what else does the future hold for an actor on the upswing after his near-fatal snowplow accident? Maybe a return to some old franchises, like “Mission: Impossible“?
Variety reports (via Collider) that in a new interview, Renner confirmed he won’t rule out a return for his “M:I” character William Brandt. And he also explained why he left the spy franchise after starring in 2011’s “Ghost Protocol” and 2015’s “Rogue Nation.” The actor’s reasons were simple: it was too much time away from family, specifically his young daughter.
“I was supposed to do more with them,” Renner said of his “M:I” co-stars, including franchise lead Tom Cruise. “I love those guys. I love Tom so much. We had so much fun, and I love that character a lot. It requires a lot of time away. It’s all in London. I had to go be a dad. It just wasn’t gonna work out then.”
But Renner would be game for Brandt to return in a new “M:I” movie. “Maybe now that my daughter is older that could happen,” Renner continued. “I’d always jump into a “Mission: Impossible” anytime and back into Brandt. It’s great.”
What a comeback that would be for Brandt, and for Renner. The actor returning to the high-octane stunts and action choreography of the “M:I” series would be a triumph after his January 2023 accident. And since Brandt is still alive in the franchise — the character retired from the IMF at the end of “Rogue Nation” — Renner could return in a potential sequel to “Mission: Impossible 8,” in theaters next year.
That is, of course, if “M:I 8” isn’t the final film in the series. The direct sequel to “Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning” was supposed to be the franchise finale, but director Christopher McQuarrie has backpedaled that idea, stating that future installments are in the cards. It likely depends on how “M:I 8” does in theaters; initially subtitled “Dead Reckoning – Part Two,” the currently untitled sequel hits theaters on May 23, 2025.
But before Renner makes a potential return as Brandt in “M:I,” he’ll star in the latest installment of another franchise: Rian Johnson‘s “Wake Up Dead Man,” A “Knives Out” mystery. But since another “Mission: Impossible” sequel wouldn’t happen for another four or five years at least, don’t rule out Brandt rejoining the IMF for another mission.