Mission: Impossible star confirms role in "incredible" seventh film
He could be related to a legacy IMF character.
Mission: Impossible's latest recruit Shea Whigham has revealed his role in the upcoming seventh film, which is currently scheduled for release next summer.
It's been a difficult journey to the screen for the Tom Cruise action flick, recently subtitled Dead Reckoning Part 1, as production costs have ballooned due largely to pandemic-related setbacks.
Nevertheless, Gaslit star Whigham is confident the investment will be worth it for the cinema experience, describing the feature as simply "incredible" in a recent interview with RadioTimes.com.
He also revealed the name of his previously undisclosed role and hinted at what exactly he'll be getting up to in the final two instalments of the long-running franchise.
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"I've seen a little bit of seven, [director Christopher] McQuarrie showed me some of that, and it is incredible stuff," said Whigham. "What I've seen is incredible. It's not just a big action film, it's also character-based and so they've given me a character, Jasper Briggs...
"You’ll see over the course of seven and eight why I'm trying to track Ethan Hunt. It's one of the best things I've ever got a chance to be a part of."
The name Jasper Briggs could be a reference to IMF agent Dan Briggs, who was the lead character in the first season of 1960s television series Mission: Impossible, upon which Cruise's blockbusters are based.
In the original show, Briggs was known for his leadership role, co-ordinating several missions for the IMF team, while he also had something of a dark streak as he was often willing to kill to accomplish his goals.
It remains to be seen whether any of these traits will be carried over to the character of Jasper, but one would assume he has some connection with Ethan (Cruise), as he is tracking him across the globe.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 sees the return of Cruise and co-stars Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Vanessa Kirby, as well as the addition of Marvel stars Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff.
Mission: Impossible 7 is scheduled for release in cinemas on Friday 14th July 2023. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
