Real-life action man Tom Cruise does what he does best, putting his life at risk, in the latest look at Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. Director Christopher McQuarrie took to Twitter to celebrate Cruise turning 60 years old, sharing an image of the death-defying actor hanging from a biplane mid-flight. Oh, and if that were not already enough to get his adrenaline pumping, the plane is also flying upside down.

Of course, Cruise has clung onto a plane for dear life before, so it must just be routine now for the Hollywood icon. Dangling from this small aircraft is just one of several ways in which Cruise will risk his life when he returns as the intrepid IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the highly anticipated action sequel Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. So far, it has been revealed that Cruise will fight a whole host of nameless henchmen atop a speeding train, as well as leap from a motorcycle off a mountain — all in the name of our entertainment.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One Will Bring Ethan Hunt’s Story to an End

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Paramount Pictures

Plot details for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One remain a closely guarded secret at present, but Christopher McQuarrie has stated that both Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning parts one and two will bring the story of Ethan Hunt to an end. Not only are the two sequels being set up as the conclusion of the franchise (at least where Hunt is concerned) but it has also since been reported that Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One will end with a major cliffhanger. Perhaps with Tom Cruise literally hanging off the edge of a cliff.

Though specifics are currently unknown, the recent trailer for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One did tease the return of Ethan Hunt’s old nemesis Eugene Kittridge, played once again by Henry Czerny. Based on the footage, Kittridge will play a major role in proceedings, with he and Hunt facing off several times in the trailer as the sleazy figure from Hunt’s past challenges the IMF Agent’s beliefs more than ever before.

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One stars Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Frederick Schmidt, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales, Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell, Indira Varma, Mark Gatiss, and Cary Elwes. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is scheduled for release in the United States on July 14, 2023 by Paramount Pictures. The final sequel, Dead Reckoning Part Two, is scheduled to be released on June 28, 2024.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is sure to be another smash hit for Tom Cruise, who is currently flying high on the success of the legacy sequel Top Gun: Maverick. Released in May, Top Gun: Maverick has soared into the “billion-dollar club,” grossing over $1.1 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2022, and the highest-grossing movie of Tom Cruise's career.