No, Glen Powell is not destined to become the next Ethan Hunt, the iconic super spy. Amidst whispers that Tom Cruise, the legendary star of the "Mission: Impossible" film series, had considered the 36-year-old Powell as his potential successor, the "Twisters" lead himself has squashed those rumors.
On Tuesday, November 12, during a lively segment of "The Pat McAfee Show," ESPN's dynamic host Pat McAfee congratulated Powell on air, reading aloud a headline flashed across X (formerly Twitter) from @TheInsneider: "Tom Cruise reportedly wants Glen Powell to replace him and spearhead the 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE' franchise in forthcoming installments."
Powell swiftly dismissed the rumor with a quip to McAfee, aged 37: "My mom would never greenlight that kind of move." Laughing, he referenced Cruise's daredevil stunts across seven action-packed movies, adding, "That's a recipe for disaster!"
Powell's mom, Cyndy, who has made cameos in her son's films—playing a spy in "Spy Kids 3," a lunch lady in "Everybody Wants Some!!," and a professor in "Jack & Bobby"—wouldn't dream of joining her son in leaping off cliffs or clinging to the fuselage of airplanes in mid-flight. It appears that such perils lie far from their horizon.
The "Hit Man" actor has shared screen space with Cruise previously, portraying a rival pilot in the 2022 blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick." They are set to reunite in an upcoming sequel, confirmed earlier this year by producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
During a July appearance on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast alongside his "Twisters" co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones, Powell hinted that he knew when filming for "Top Gun 3" would commence. "I mean, I have a date," he teased, referring to the anticipated release of the project.
Powell answered McAfee's call from the set of his next venture, "The Running Man," directed by Edgar Wright. While immersed in shooting this action-packed remake of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film, the actor revealed to IndieWire in July that he was juggling remote classes to complete his college degree at the University of Texas at Austin.
Cruise is all set to reprise his role as the heroic IMF agent Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning." The eighth installment of the franchise, helmed by Christopher McQuarrie, follows the 2022 release of "Dead Reckoning Part One" and is scheduled to hit theaters on May 23, 2025.
