Shea Whigham joins cast of Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible 7 & 8

The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise is one which, for the most part, just seems to get better and better with each sequel, and Christopher McQuarrie is busy prepping the next two installments, which will once again find Tom Cruise risking life and limb for our entertainment. In addition to Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson is confirmed to return, and both Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff have joined up as well. McQuarrie took to Twitter today to announce the latest member of the cast, and it's one of my favourite character actors – Shea Whigham.

Chances are good that you've seen Shea Whigham in something, as the actor has played a role in a wide variety of films and TV shows over the past few years. Whigham has appeared in films such as FAST & FURIOUS, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, KONG: SKULL ISLAND, SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO, FIRST MAN, BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE, VICE, and JOKER, as well as TV shows like Boardwalk Empire, True Detective, Justified, Vice Principals, Fargo, Narcos, Waco, and Homecoming. Simply put, he's a very welcome addition to the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE cast.

After becoming the first director to helm more than one MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film with both MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, Christopher McQuarrie will be back to write and direct the next two MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE sequels. The guy really wants to kill Tom Cruise. As FALLOUT became the franchise's biggest commercial and critical success, McQuarrie has previously said that he's all too aware that the film will be an extremely tough act to follow. "I pitched the idea of making two movies, and now I have to justify why it’s two movies," McQuarrie said. "You’ve got to earn that. You’ve got to make something that swallows the last three movies whole. I’m freaked out now. We’ve talked ourselves into something. Holy shit."

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7 and 8 are slated to be released on July 23, 2021 and August 5, 2022.