Warning: Minor spoilers for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning are in play.
I truly think Mission: Impossible 8 is the proper end to Ethan Hunt’s IMF story. A blockbuster entry on the 2025 movie schedule, there’s a lot to talk about with Tom Cruise’s big swan song to the franchise; especially after raking in some more wins during May 2025’s final box office weekend. However, some of that light has been stolen by the venerable cast of supporting characters who have landed with the fans. And I agree with the internet in saying that in the case of the USS Ohio’s Captain Jack Bledsoe, there’s a spinoff just waiting to happen.
Tramell Tillman’s Captain Jack Bledsoe And His Crew Need A Mission: Impossible Spinoff
As I highlighted in my Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning review, Ethan Hunt’s time in deep water is so popular, even the Mission cast likened it to a horror movie. But before we get to the big action, there’s a good stretch of time that allows Captain Bledsoe (Tramell Tillman) to shine. In such a short time, our Severance star and his crew (which includes The Mandalorian favorite Katy O’Brien in the role of Kodiak) endear themselves to the audience, which is saying something in a cast this large.
And that’s part of why I think this crew deserves a spin-off of its own. But to get the full effect, you really should hear the line that’s been winning the internet, courtesy of Mr. Tillman, at the end of this clip:
I think we’re all on the same page here, whether or not you’re waiting to use your Paramount+ subscription to catch Mission: Impossible’s curtain call. So let’s move on to the story for The Final Reckoning’s spinoff, as I think director Christopher McQuarrie and co-writer Erik Jendresen have already baited this hook rather well.
The USS Ohio’s Mission To Hunt A Russian Sub Would Make For A Perfect Real Time Thriller
Before and after Ethan Hunt arrives on the USS Ohio, the vessel is engaged in a hunt for a rather infamous submarine that’s part of a larger maneuver. As the world is manipulated by The Entity, the lines between peace and war were already blurred enough, and then Ethan Hunt went to supposedly “poke the bear.”
That wasn’t his intention, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a Mission: Impossible side story where Captain Jack Bledsoe and his crew play the most high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse. Giving us a real-time film (or streaming series) where the USS Ohio makes its way into and out of harm's way would be a fun ride.
The mid-point would be Ethan’s visit during Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s overall plot, with both ends that flank that scene handling the story of life aboard the sub. Which means part of the tension would be in following The Entity’s inside man, who tried to kill Tom Cruise’s lead, and whether or not others on the ship were under its command.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been seeing Crimson Tide clips pop up on the internet a lot lately, but I think a Mission: Impossible spinoff that gave us more of Captain Bledsoe, Kodiak, Pills, and the rest of the crew could only be a good thing. But who knows? Maybe The Final Reckoning’s definitive ending makes it sound like I’m trying to poke the bear here.
In which case, I invite you to either discover or revisit Mission: Impossible 8, watch the USS Ohio scenes, and tell me I’m wrong. And if you fall into that opposing camp, you’ll have exactly the line to use when confronting me about it later on.
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