Is Angela Bassett In Mission Impossible 8? Director Hints At Return To Series
There's a chance that Angela Bassett will return as Erika Sloane in "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two."
Even the most casual "Mission: Impossible" fans know that each new entry introduces a brand new bureaucrat that Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has to deal with it. In "Mission: Impossible — Fallout," the ace IMF agent has to follow the bidding of Erika Sloane, a CIA director who is done with Hunt's roguish behavior. Played by Bassett, Sloane stands out as an absolute badass, a character who has no time for the IMF's hijinks and convoluted plans. Sloane is cold-blooded and straight to the point, making her Hunt's worst nightmare.
But Bassett was nowhere to be found in "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One," which sees Hunt and the IMF gang going up against the Entity, a sentient artificial intelligence capable of controlling the world's intelligence. While isn't surprising that Bassett wasn't brought back — most agency directors and leaders are casually replaced in the "M:I" franchise — the intention was to have Sloane pop up. Chatting with ComingSoon in 2020, Bassett confirmed that she was on track to return for the "Mission: Impossible" sequel. "But I do have the pages, we'll just see when I get the ticket to fly and go do my part, but that's coming up and I'm really excited about it," the star told the outlet.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions robbed audiences of Sloane's return, with the character missing in "Dead Reckoning Part One." But it's possible that Bassett could return for "Part Two," at least according to co-writer and director Christopher McQuarrie. "We're not done with Angela Bassett," McQuarrie teased while speaking with Variety. "Angela is too fabulous, you could never ever let Angela get away, so there's always a plan in the future..."
Angela Bassett would have appeared in a key Dead Reckoning scene
Seeing as "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two" is still under production, it's all but possible that Angela Bassett could return as Erika Sloane. Of course, nothing is confirmed as of yet, but it certainly would be a welcome return. One can only imagine how Sloane will react to the chaos that Ethan Hunt, Benji (Simon Pegg), and Luther (Ving Rhames) have gotten up to since her absence. Hopefully, a future appearance explains her absence considering Bassett's role in "Dead Reckoning Part One" would have been important.
During his chat with Variety, director Christopher McQuarrie revealed that Bassett would have shown up in the early minutes of "Dead Reckoning Part One," where various American intelligence officers are discussing the nefarious nature of the Entity. "It was interesting," the director teased. "She was going to be the head of the CIA, she would've been in that room with all the other heads of the intelligence community that you meet."
It's interesting how McQuarrie notes that Bassett would have been the CIA Director, a role she previously occupied in "Fallout." In "Dead Reckoning Part One," the CIA is run by Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny), a character who first appeared in the original "Mission: Impossible." Would Czerny have not been brought back if Bassett was in the film? That's anyone's guess. Czerny previously revealed to Uproxx that McQuarrie was interested in bringing Kittridge back several movies ago. Seeing as most of the recent "Mission: Impossible" films feature on-the-fly dialogue and frequent narrative switch-ups, it's difficult to imagine what Bassett's return would have looked like and how it would have impacted the "Dead Reckoning" narrative.
Here's hoping that "Dead Reckoning Part Two" features both Sloane and Kittridge teaming up to reel Hunt in.
Fans think Angela Bassett has a sneaky cameo in Dead Reckoning Part One
While COVID-19 restrictions didn't allow Angela Bassett to reprise her role as Erika Sloane in "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One," the character is there in spirit, at least according to eagle-eyed viewers. In the exposition dump that is the intelligence scene, where various American leaders discuss the threat of the Entity, a portrait of Bassett's Sloane can be seen hanging on the wall. It's a simple nod to the iconic character who blew fans away with just one appearance. The question is, why is Sloane's portrait hanging on the wall?
Some fans think that the character is now the President of the United States. "It's out of focus and in the background but Angela Basset's Erica Sloane is definitely the President," writes user u/DJCamelReviews on the r/MissionImpossible subreddit. "In the community scene she's in a photo on the wall. She'll be in 8 I imagine. Awesome!" they continued. To make matters even more interesting, Bassett was set in a presumable behind-the-scenes photo (via Twitter) with "Dead Reckoning Part Two" star Holt McCallany. Deadline says that McCallany is who is set to play the Secretary of Defense in the film, per Deadline. If Bassett's Sloane was the President, she definitely would be chatting with the Secretary of Defense regarding the Entity... and Hunt's hijinks.
Being President would certainly be an interesting move for Sloane, especially after her victory at the end of "Fallout." With "Dead Reckoning Part One," the stakes are at an all-time high and it is interesting how POTUS is never seen in the film... Only time will tell if Sloane will mark her return as the President in "Dead Reckoning Part Two."