In a shocking development, Titans’ Esai Morales will take over the villain role from Nicholas Hoult in the upcoming action sequels, Mission: Impossible 7 & 8.
After the critical and financial success of Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible: Fallout, Paramount was quick to retain the director and announced two sequels, Mission: Impossible 7 & 8, with plans to shoot the films back-to-back.
Returning for the newly announced sequels are franchise staples Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg, as Ethan Hunt, Ilsa Faust, Luther Stickell, and Benji Dunn, respectively. Hayley Atwell (Captain America: First Avenger) was brought onboard as the new female lead, a character McQuarrie described as:
A destructive force of nature.
In January, it was announced that Nicholas Hoult (The Favourite) had signed on to portray the villain, who would antagonize Hunt and the IMF crew through both sequels. Deadline now reports that Nicholas Hoult has left the project due to overlapping scheduling conflicts and Esai Morales (Titans) has been tabbed as his replacement.
Esai Morales is the New Villain
Shooting for the sequels was set to begin in Italy, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production halted. The delay put Hoult’s schedule in conflict with a future project, leading to his exit from the project.
RELATED: NEW CHARACTER DETAILS FOR MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 7 & 8: EXCLUSIVE
One thing this casting change denotes is that the role is not adherent to a certain age or ethnicity. Morales is nearly 30 years Hoult’s senior. It is a shame that Hoult is no longer attached to the project, but he has proven himself to be a desirable name. Hoult nearly won The Batman job from Robert Pattinson. As for Morales, he is primarily known for his work on the small screen but fans of Titans can attest to his prowess as Deathstroke on the show.
Mission: Impossible 7 is currently slated to be released on November 19th, 2021. What do you think of Esai Morales’ casting? Are you excited for Mission: Impossible 7? Sound off your thoughts in the comments below!
KEEP READING: NEW DETAILS MAY REVEAL WHY RUBY ROSE LEFT BATWOMAN
Source: CBM
