Tom Cruise runs Hollywood…and pretty much anywhere his feet can carry him. As the 2025 movie schedule sees our maverick IMF agent facing danger one last time, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning draws Ethan Hunt’s story to a close. However, even Mr. Cruise’s insistence that this is the last chapter won’t stop him from running, as he’s been a fan for longer than you’d think.
Sharing what equates to his sprinting origin story with Australian talk show The Project, the action superstar describes something that sounds like the beginning to an inspirational sports biopic. As you can read for yourself, that’s not a knock, but a tribute to how sweet this tale actually is:
I've always been a sprinter my whole life. Since I was a little kid, I've wanted to run. I remember when growing up, and we'd get one pair of sneakers, like for a year, when I was a little kid … And I’d take it out, and immediately I’d feel like I could run faster. I was like, “Now I can run faster with these new shoes.” Of course I hit every mud puddle and puddle I could get into…
I don’t think this would legally be considered a Tom Cruise running story if there wasn’t some sort of natural element involved. So, having those puddles in the mix is kind of an essential component; kind of like how you need a Paramount+ subscription to sprint through all seven previous films before The Final Reckoning.
But even if you’re not an adrenaline junkie who tries to re-enact some of Mission: Impossible’s most ridiculous stunts, this need for speed is something anyone can identify with.
As he continued to discuss his love affair with running, Cruise dug into what it is that continues to draw him to this physical activity. Brace yourself, because this is probably one of the most idyllic descriptions of that very action you’ll ever read:
I loved the feeling of sprinting. The feeling of that wind going past my body, and the speed of it, and it’s just the joy of being able to use the body in that way, and push it. I’ve always thought of a body as like a car, it’s something that I use to be able to communicate and move as an artist in different films. So sprinting for me is a real joy.
One can see a slippery slope of sorts in effect here, as this Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning lead went from running through puddles to jumping bikes off of incredibly high cliffs. But no matter what the new set piece stunt is in each outing, there’s at least one impressive run that stops the show; as you’ll see in this reel of Mission running highlights:
For as much as Tom Cruise loves to push his body like a sports car, it’s still humbling to hear about Mission: Impossible’s non-stunt-related frustrations. At the same time, it kind of makes me want to run myself, full speed, until I feel like giving out; which is basically what this very franchise has done. And the finish line isn’t too far off, as The Final Reckoning will be upon us, starting with early showings on May 22nd.
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