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What separatesMIfrom any other major Hollywood franchises currently running is the directors’ input into these films, as Tom Cruise once deemedMIas a director-driven franchise. With each entry often presented as its own self-contained story, directors could dictate each movie’s style, and it was especially prominent inMission: Impossible 2, following John Woo’s highly stylized imagery.
And while Woo’s take on the franchise deviated the most from the general aesthetic of the iconic series, things would’ve been wilder if they settled with Oliver Stone’s vision for the franchise.
Also read:Mission: Impossible 7 Failure is a Blessing for Tom Cruise Amid Rumors of Paramount Replacing Actor to Expand the Franchise
Oliver Stone’sMI 2Would’ve Brought in the Evil Computer 2 Decades BeforeDead Reckoning
BeforeTom Cruisebrought in the action auteur John Woo to helm the sequel, it was director Oliver Stone, who was initially added to the project. Having worked with Cruise inBorn on the Fourth of July, Stone was on board with helming the movie,explainingthat it was a vehicle to tell a story about corporate culture“and global politics in the 21st century”. While the project never came to fruition, and the reasons behind his departure remain scarce, following the difference between his version and the movie we got, one could argue it was due to creative differences.
The early draft written by David Marconi with revisions from Michael Tolkin, obtained by theLight The FusePodcast hosts Charles Hood and Drew Taylor, sees the sequel touching the realm of sci-fi. The draft follows the story of Ethan taking on an evil supercomputer, posited as the primary villain of the canned version, which is interestingly not too far fromDead Reckoning. However, the draft relies a lot on biblical allegories, as Ethan is captured and put into an experimental chamber, which causes Ethan to be trapped in a simulation of the Garden of Eden, from which he marks his escape.
It’s important to note that the early draft was more of an outline than a completely fleshed-out final draft, so the disjointed elements probably would’ve been corrected if it had been greenlit.
Also read:“It’s not that I don’t get scared”: Is Tom Cruise a Man Without Fear? The Mission Impossible Stunt That Made Him Admit He’s Terrified
Tom Cruise originally wanted Brian De Palma to return for the sequel
But before moving toOliver Stoneto shape the future of the franchise, Tom Cruise’s original choice was to keep working with Brian De Palma, who was the reason behind the rise of MI. However, after the first MI release, the Scarface director wasn’t on board with the idea of the sequel, explaining that there was no story to be added, further stressing he wasn’t interested in making more money. Recounting his response to Cruise on the idea of a sequel, De Palma recalled (viaThe Associated Press):
“I said: ‘Are you kidding?’ One of these is enough. Why would anybody want to make another one? Of course the reason they make another one is to make money. I was never a movie director to make money, which is the big problem of Hollywood.”
Also read:“I look forward to making great movies together”: Tom Cruise Might Have Hinted Mission Impossible Retirement After Latest Deal With WB
While Tom Cruise and other auteurs did end up adding more valuable stories to the franchise, had it not been for Cruise’s fixation on letting the director dictate the films,MImight not have reached its heights.
Mission: Impossible 2is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2543
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
