Mission: Impossible
American media franchise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mission: Impossible is an American multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired a series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise beginning in 1996.
| Mission: Impossible | |
|---|---|
 Series logo | |
| Created by | Bruce Geller |
| Original work | Mission: Impossible (1966) |
| Owner | Paramount Pictures |
| Years | 1966–present |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | |
| Television series |
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| Games | |
| Video game(s) |
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| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) |
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| Original music | |
By 2011, the franchise had generated over $4 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.[1]
The most recent installment, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, premiered in Tokyo on May 5, 2025, and was released internationally on May 23. It earned about $598 million worldwide, including $197.4 million in the U.S. and Canada and $400.6 million internationally, making it the highest-opening entry in the series and the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2025.[2]
Although its title suggests finality, franchise star Tom Cruise gave mixed signals. At the Cannes premiere, he said, "It's the final … it's not called final for nothing," while in other interviews he expressed interest in continuing the role into his eighties.[3][4]
Legacy
The franchise's signature theme music, composed in 5/4 time by Lalo Schifrin for the 1966 series, incorporates the Morse code for "M.I." Schifrin's composition became an enduring cultural hallmark, earning Grammy recognition. Schifrin died in June 2025 at age 93, with obituaries widely highlighting his influence on spy film music.[5]
The Mission Impossible films have become famous for pushing the boundaries of stunts. Each film features increasingly death-defying real-world stunts[6], planned meticulously by Cruise and the stunt team, and performed by Cruise himself with as few special effects as possible. Stunts have included climbing the Burj Khalifa in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, hanging onto the outside of a plane during takeoff in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and riding a motorcycle off a cliff in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning. The franchise has won five Taurus World Stunt Awards, two Actor Awards for its stunt team, and one Critics Choice Award for Wade Eastwood's stunt design for Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning[7].
Several actors have spoken about their experiences with the films. Jeremy Renner, who appeared in Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation, did not return for later installments due to family commitments, stating he prioritized raising his daughter over extended location filming.[8] Hayley Atwell, who debuted as Grace in Dead Reckoning, noted she spent over five years with the franchise, including extensive reshoots, describing it as both physically demanding and creatively rewarding.[9]
Media
Television series
| Title | Release | Seasons | Episodes | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series) | 1966–1973 | 7 | 171 episodes | |
| Mission: Impossible (1988 TV series) | 1988–1990 | 2 | 35 episodes | |
Films
| Title | Release date | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible vs. the Mob | 1967 | Released theatrically in Europe and Australia. |
| Mission: Impossible | May 22, 1996 | Part of the Mission: Impossible film series. |
| Mission: Impossible 2 | May 24, 2000 | |
| Mission: Impossible III | May 5, 2006 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | December 16, 2011 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | July 31, 2015 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | July 27, 2018 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning | July 12, 2023 | |
| Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | May 23, 2025 |
Soundtracks
| Title | Release date | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Music from Mission: Impossible | 1967 | |
| More Mission: Impossible | 1969 | |
| Mission: Impossible (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) | May 14, 1996 | |
| Mission: Impossible – (Music from the Original Motion Picture Score) | June 18, 1996 | |
| Music from and Inspired by Mission: Impossible 2 | May 9, 2000 | |
| Mission: Impossible 2 (Music from the Original Motion Picture Score) | June 13, 2000 | |
| Mission: Impossible III (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | May 9, 2006 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (Music from the Motion Picture) | December 13, 2011 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Music from the Motion Picture) | July 24, 2015 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Music from the Motion Picture) | July 13, 2018 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Music from the Motion Picture) | July 12, 2023 | |
| Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Music from the Motion Picture) | May 23, 2025 |
Video games
| Title | Platform | Release date | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spy Daisakusen[10] | PC-8800 series | 1982 | Based on the 1966 TV series. Released in Japan only. |
| Sharp MZ | |||
| Mission: Impossible | NES | 1990 | Based on the 1988 TV series revival. |
| Mission: Impossible[11] | MS-DOS | 1991 | |
| Mission: Impossible | N64 | 1998 | Based on the 1996 film. |
| PSX | 1999 | ||
| Mission: Impossible | GBC | 2000 | |
| Mission: Impossible – Operation Surma | GBA | 2003 | |
| Xbox | |||
| PS2 | |||
| GC | |||
| Mission: Impossible III | J2ME | 2006 | Developed by Gameloft |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | iOS | 2015 | Developed by Glu |
| Android | |||
| Lego Dimensions - Mission: Impossible | PS3 | 2016 | Expansion pack for Lego Dimensions. Based on the Mission: Impossible film series. |
| PS4 | |||
| Xbox One | |||
| Xbox 360 | |||
| Wii U | |||
Books
| Title | Release date | Author | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible 1 | 1967 | Walter Wager (credited as John Tiger) | Part of a series |
| Mission: Impossible 2: Code Name: Judas | 1968 | Jim Lawrence (credited as Max Walker) | |
| Mission: Impossible 3: Code Name: Rapier | |||
| Mission: Impossible 4: Code Name: Little Ivan | 1969 | Walter Wager (credited as John Tiger) | |
| Mission: Impossible: The Priceless Particle | 1969 | Talmage Powell | Part of a series |
| Mission: Impossible: The Money Explosion | 1970 | ||
| Mission Impossible | 1996 | Peter Barsocchini | Novelization to the Tom Cruise film |
| Mission Impossible: The Aztec Imperative | James Luceno | Tie-in series to the film series | |
| Mission Impossible: Ring of Fire | Tom Philbin | ||
| Mission Impossible: The Doomsday Summit | |||
Comics
| Title | Release date | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible | 1967 | Five-issue series; published by Dell Comics. |
| Mission: Impossible | 1973 | Comic strip published in TV Action. Art by John M. Burns. |
| Mission: Impossible | 1996 | Tie-in prequel one-shot to the 1996 film. Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman, art by Rob Liefeld et al. |
