Director Christopher McQuarrie reveals Hayley Atwell has joined the cast of Mission: Impossible 7. The Tom Cruise-led action franchise has been revived in a major way in recent years. Much of the recent success can be attributed to the contributions of writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, who helped write Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. He went on to direct the next two installments of the series, elevating the franchise to new heights, and has since signed on to write and direct two more films.

Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 already have 2021 and 2022 release dates from Paramount, with the plan to start filming them back-to-back at the end of this year. Story details on the new films have yet to be revealed. Cruise will obviously return and Rebecca Ferguson will reprise her role as Ilsa Faust too. But, Mission: Impossible 7 has now added someone new to its cast.

McQuarrie took to Instagram to announce the possibility of MCU alum Hayley Atwell joining the Mission: Impossible franchise. He shared a photo of Atwell that is laid on top of an IMF folder with the caption reading “Should you choose to accept…” and tagging Atwell. She then posted a cropped version of the photo on her own Instagram to accept the mission, but teased that she’s “not the sort to follow orders…”

For many, Atwell is best known for her work as Agent Peggy Carter in the MCU. She made her debut in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, but accumulated five appearances overall in the movies, with her last one concluding Peggy’s story in Avengers: Endgame. She reprised this role in Agent Carter, Agents of SHIELD, and will do so again in What If…? Outside of the MCU, Atwell has starred in several TV shows, Disney’s Christopher Robin, and most recently the Bruce Springsteen inspired film Blinded by the Light.

Even though there are no character details as of yet for Atwell, her addition to the Mission: Impossible franchise is exciting nonetheless. Her photo being placed on top of an IMF folder could be a sign that she is going to join Ethan Hunt’s next team potentially. If that is the case though, Atwell’s playful caption could also tease that she won’t exactly follow his orders at all times. It’s even possible that this isn’t a one time role for her either, as she could also appear in Mission: Impossible 8 perhaps.

Regardless, Atwell will join a franchise that is responsible for creating some great and formidable female characters. Not only has Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust been a standout, but so to was Vanessa Kirby’s White Widow in Mission: Impossible - Fallout and Paula Patton’s Jane in Ghost Protocol. Now that Atwell has accepted her mission to appear in Mission: Impossible 7, hopefully we’ll learn more about who she is playing soon.

MORE: Everything We Know About Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 (So Far)

Sources: Christopher McQuarrie, Hayley Atwell

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