After rumors surfaced online suggesting that Tom Cruise wanted Glen Powell to replace him in the Mission: Impossible franchise, ESPN commentator Pat McAfee reached out to Powell to confirm the news. During the Nov. 12 broadcast of The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee FaceTimed Powell, sharing the rumor and jokingly congratulating him, saying, “We just want to call and say congratulations, brother.
Powell quickly denied the rumor with a playful response, saying, “My mom would never let me do that.” He went on to joke that starring in the stunt-heavy Mission: Impossible films is “the worst gig in town,” emphasizing, “That’s a death trap,” alluding to the extreme stunts Cruise is famous for performing in the series, including hanging off a moving airplane, scaling the world’s tallest building, and jumping off cliffs with a motorcycle before parachuting down.
Laughing at the situation, Powell added to the playful banter, prompting McAfee to exclaim, “He’s lying!” The two then shifted gears, talking about college football.
Before they ended the call, Powell mentioned that he was currently on set for Edgar Wright’s upcoming film The Running Man, sharing his excitement: “It’s gonna be sick!”
The eighth installment of Mission: Impossible, titled The Final Reckoning, is scheduled for release on May 23, 2025. Despite its title, it remains unclear whether this will mark Cruise’s final appearance as agent Ethan Hunt.
Powell and Cruise previously worked together on 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, where both actors performed many of their own stunts. Powell also starred in this year’s Twisters, alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones. Cruise even attended the premiere, posting an Instagram photo of him with Powell and writing, “Fun night with friends, watching a movie.