About 
In the first trailer for Greenland 2: Migration, we see what life is like after a major natural disaster and how humanity copes with that new reality.
Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies, Paramount Pictures | Tagged: interview, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning Star On The Timely AI Villain
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning star Holt McCallany discusses the movie's AI villain and how it was conceptualized pre-2020; it is even more relevant today.
Article Summary
- Holt McCallany discusses the AI villain in Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning and its real-world relevance.
- The film's antagonist was conceptualized long before AI debates became mainstream, making it strikingly timely now.
- McCallany praises Christopher McQuarrie's writing for making an inhuman villain compelling and accessible to audiences.
- Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning is out digital now, with home release set for October 14, 2025.
Back in May, Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning was finally released in theaters. The second half of two films that were supposed to be shot back-to-back became the COVID canary in the coalmine, as it was one of the first big sets that had to shut down. The world shifted, and these two films came with it. They somehow became timely simply because of what they decided to use as the primary antagonist: AI.
With Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning releasing on digital today, we got to speak to veteran actor Holt McCallany, who has probably had a role in your favorite movie or television show. One of those shows is Mindhunter, where McCallany's character is attempting to comprehend the "why" behind human evil. However, the villain in Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning is the complete opposite, as the AI is the ultimate inhuman villain. Both of these Mission: Impossible films were conceptualized long before AI worries went very mainstream, and considering McCallany's role in the movie as the Secretary of Defense and what aspects of the entity he would interact with, we asked if any challenges presented themselves when your antagonist is just a bunch of ones and zeros.
"That's a super interesting question, and nobody has asked me that, but you are quite right," McCallany replied. "Usually, the villain in a movie is very easy to identify, and in this case, it wasn't. That's really a testament to Chris [Chistopher McQuarrie] as a writer, that he was able to take such a difficult subject and make it plausible and accessible for the audience, because it's not an easy thing to do at all. It really worked, and this is what I mean when I say that he's a special writer-director. He's equally good at both, and that's a very, very rare thing to find."
At the time of writing, the "final" part of The Final Reckoning is holding true, but that could very easily change. For now, we have an eight-movie franchise with far more bangers than misses and one that found its footing four movies in. Anything is possible. Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning is out on digital now and will arrive on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray™ SteelBook™, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray, and DVD on October 14, 2025.
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning: Summary, Cast List, Release Date
Our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning.
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, stars Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman and Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, with Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk. It was released in theaters on May 23, 2025.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
