Mission: Impossible (film series)

Ethan Hunt is framed for the murder of his IMF team during a botched mission in Prague and accused of selling government secrets to an arms dealer known only as "Max". On the run, Ethan seeks to uncover the real traitor and clear his name.

Ethan goes back in action and works with professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton) as they go undercover to stop rogue IMF agent, and Nyah's former lover, Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) from stealing a deadly virus to start a pandemic and sell the antidote to the highest bidder.

Ethan, retired from being an IMF team leader and engaged to be married, assembles a team to face the elusive arms and information broker Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who intends to sell a mysterious dangerous object known as "The Rabbit's Foot".

Ethan and the entire IMF are blamed for the bombing of the Kremlin while investigating an individual known only as "Cobalt" (Michael Nyqvist). He and three other agents are left to stop him from starting a global nuclear war.

Ethan Hunt comes under threat from the Syndicate. Faced with the IMF's disbandment, Hunt assembles his team for their mission to prove the Syndicate's existence and bring the organization down by any means necessary.

When an IMF mission to recover plutonium ends badly, the world is faced with the threat of the Apostles, a terrorist organization formed by former members of the Syndicate. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill the original mission, the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives.

In January 2019, it was announced that both a seventh and an eighth Mission: Impossible are in development with Christopher McQuarrie set to return as well. The projects will reportedly be filmed back-to-back, and are scheduled for July 23, 2021 and August 5, 2022 release, respectively.[2][3] In September 2019, McQuarrie announced on his Instagram account that Hayley Atwell had joined the cast for the seventh film and eighth film, later also confirmed by Atwell herself. In November, McQuarrie also announced that Pom Klementieff had joined the cast.[4] In late December Shea Whigham was confirmed for both upcoming movies.[5] In January 2020, McQuarrie announced that Nicholas Hoult had also joined the cast while Simon Pegg later confirmed his return as Benji that same month.[6][7] In February 2020, McQuarrie announced that Henry Czerny will reprise his role as Eugene Kittridge from the first film with Vanessa Kirby later that month confirming her return as Alanna/White Widow.[8][9] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the films were rescheduled to November 19, 2021 and November 4, 2022 respectively.[10]

The television version is in a rarely used ⁵
₄ time (an unusual time signature with five crotchets to a bar) and is difficult to dance to,[31] as was proven by a memorable segment of American Bandstand in which teenage dancers were caught off-guard by Dick Clark's playing of the Lalo Schifrin single release.

The opening theme music for the first six films are stylized renditions of Schifrin's original iconic theme, preserving the ⁵
₄ rhythm, by Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Joe Kraemer and Lorne Balfe, respectively. Most of the versions included in the score also retained the ⁵
₄ time signature.[31]

However, for Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr.'s version featured on the first film's motion picture soundtrack, the time signature was changed to standard pop ⁴
₄ time to make it more dance-friendly, although the intro is still in ⁵
₄ time.[31] The Limp Bizkit song "Take a Look Around" from the soundtrack to the second film was set to a similar ⁴
₄ modification of the theme, with an interlude in ⁵
₄.