Summary
Jeremy Renner addresses hisMission: Impossiblefranchise exit and comments on a potential return as Brandt. Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is the centerpiece of the hit action franchise, but various supporting characters have come and gone since the first film in 1996. Renner joined the franchise asWilliam Brandt inMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocolin 2011, and he briefly reprised his role forMission: Impossible – Rogue Nationin 2015, but the character hasn’t been seen in the franchise since.
In a recent interview withCollider,Renner explains that he left theMission: Impossiblefranchise due to his young daughter and his desire to not be away from home so much. The actor doesn’t rule out an eventual return, however. Check out his full comment below:
“Yeah. I had to leave that. I was supposed to do more with them. I love those guys. I love Tom [Cruise] 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. Maybe now that my daughter is older that could happen. I’d always jump into a Mission: Impossible anytime and back into Brandt. It’s great.”
How Jeremy Renner Could Return As Brandt In Mission: Impossible
What Happened To Brandt After Rogue Nation?
While Renner was once thought to be positioned as Cruise’s successor in the franchise, whatever plans may or may not have been in place were essentially put aside with the release ofMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. This film features Brandt in a much smaller role, and not one that’s heavy on action. Brandt starts working for the CIA after the disbanding of the IMF, though he remains loyal to Hunt and Alec Baldwin’s Alan Hunley.
Mission: Impossible – Falloutdoesn’t explain what happened to Brandt and, as of theMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoningending, it’s unclear what he’s up to in the world of the films.It seems likely he’s still working in the intelligence community, however, and this would make his return fairly straightforward. If Brandt was working for the CIA or the Department of Homeland Security, for example, Hunt could pull him back into the loop on whatever his next mission is. Even if Brandt has retired from intelligence work, he’s still someone that Hunt trusts.
Alternatively, once the Entity storyline is presumably resolved in theupcomingMission: Impossible 8, a future film could also bring Brandt back as a potential antagonist. While it’s hard to see Brandt serving as the main villain of a film,he could certainly return and be positioned in opposition to Hunt in the same way that Isla Faust has been in the past. It remains to be seen whether Brandt will return in a futureMission: Impossiblemovie, but Renner is evidently open to a comeback.
