The latest and last instalment of Mission: Impossible starring Tom Cruise is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month out of competition, the festival has announced.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which is intended to be the last episode in the series, is one of the most hotly awaited blockbusters of the year and is set for release in cinemas worldwide from Saturday 17 May.
It opens in Irish cinemas on Wednesday 21 May.
In the latest trailer for the eighth instalment of the franchise, Cruise can be seen running through London and hanging off planes as his character, the spy Ethan Hunt, declares: "I need you to trust me, one last time."
In a post on Instagram, Cruise shared the trailer, saying: "Every choice, every mission, has all led to this."
Directed once again by Christopher McQuarrie, the action-packed film is the sequel to 2023's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One where Ethan Hunt and his team at the secret government agency Impossible Missions Force (IMF) were tasked with tracking down a dangerous weapon before it fell into the wrong hands.
The new trailer spotlights newcomers to the franchise including Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham, Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman, and Tramell Tillman, known for playing Seth Milchick in the hit series Severance.
It sees the return of Grace, the former professional thief played by Hayley Atwell; Benji Dunn, portrayed by Hot Fuzz's Simon Pegg; and a long-standing character in the franchise, IMF agent Luther Stickell, played by Ving Rhames.
American actress Angela Bassett also returns to the franchise as Erika Sloane, who was last seen in the 2018 film Mission: Impossible - Fallout as the Director of the CIA - in the new trailer it appears she is now the President of the United States.
Cruise recently paid tribute to McQuarrie, who has directed four of the Mission: Impossible films, at the CinemaCon film convention in Las Vegas as he was honoured with the Director of the Year award.
He said: "You are not only my dear friend, my creative brother, director of the year, you are an artist for all time."
The actor has starred in each of the franchise's films, first appearing in 1996 for Mission: Impossible.
He has become known for doing his own stunts in the films, which include scaling Dubai's Burj Khalifa skyscraper and riding a motorcycle off the edge of a cliff, speed-flying to safety.
He told the PA news agency: "When I jumped off that cliff, we all jumped off that cliff.
"It was a turning point. It was like: 'Here is the standard that we are setting. Here is the standard of film we are making. And we can't back off from that. There's no going back'."
The Cannes Film Festival runs from Tuesday 13 May to Saturday 24 May.
Source: AFP, Press Association
