Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
Facts about the Mission: Impossible series you didn’t know about
The Mission: Impossible franchise is about to unleash another blockbuster event with the upcoming release of Dead Reckoning – Part One. The hype surrounding this film is palpable, as audiences will surely see what is just the beginning of IMF’s most formidable mission to date and quite possibly Ethan Hunt’s final adventure.
It’s based on a TV series
Given the film franchise’s enormous popularity, one can easily forget that Mission: Impossible is based on Bruce Geller’s TV show from the ’60s.
Long before Tom Cruise led the franchise as superspy Ethan Hunt, Steven Hill (Adam from Law & Order) and later Peter Graves (the pilot from Airplane!) led the original show as Dan Briggs and Jm Phelps, respectively. Though the latter character is the only member of the show’s cast to appear in the film franchise, Jon Voight took over the role of Phelps.
The show’s cast didn’t like the films
Unfortunately, much of the show’s cast wasn’t so happy with some of the ideas behind the original movie. Specifically, the decision to turn Jim Phelps into a villain and a traitor angered Peter Graves.
Likewise, Barney Collier actor Greg Morris walked out while watching the first film after learning Phelps betrayed his fellow agents, and Rollin Hand actor Martin Landau voiced his displeasure with the movie’s script. It just goes to show that you can’t always please everyone.
Tom Cruise did his own stunts
No matter what anyone thinks about Tom Cruise, the man commits to his craft as an actor. So much so that he has performed Ethan’s most death-defying stunts throughout the franchise himself.
Cruise climbed up a tall mountain, hung from the outside of a plane as it took off, and ran down the side of the Burj Khalifa tower: the tallest building on the planet. He even broke his ankle jumping between two buildings in Fallout. And now for Dead Reckoning, Cruise drove a motorcycle off a cliff. If Tom Cruise didn’t get into action movies, he could’ve fit right in with the guys on Jackass.
The third film used decoy actors
While the franchise’s third film was being shot in Italy, the production team didn’t want bystanders hovering around the set to see what they were working on. Thus, they set up a fake set in another location, hired bikini models and older women masquerading as nuns, and pretended to be filming them while the actual movie was made. One can only imagine what people thought this pretend film was about.
It’s the 18th highest-grossing film franchise
For almost 30 years, the Mission: Impossible franchise has been a huge cash cow for Hollywood. With six films released so far, the series has grossed over $3.5 billion at the worldwide box office, with Fallout earning the most at this point.
This has made Mission: Impossible the 18th highest-grossing film franchise in history, putting it in between The Twilight Saga and the Shrek movies.
It’s been helmed by many legendary directors
Though Cruise may be the face of the franchise, one mustn’t forget the talent working behind the camera to make these films what they are today. The Mission: Impossible films have had many talented directors leading the productions, including Brian De Palma (Carrie, Scarface), John Woo (Face/Off, Hard Boiled), J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille).
But since Rogue Nation, the franchise has been helmed by director Christopher McQuarrie, who recently broke the box-office barrier with Top Gun: Maverick.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
Comments
Post a Comment