The Real Reason Jeremy Renner Left The Mission: Impossible Series

Fresh off the heels of his Oscar-nominated performances in "The Hurt Locker" and "The Town," Jeremy Renner was expanding his horizons, taking on a slew of action roles. He joined Tom Cruise — Hollywood's last great action star — for "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" as the mysterious IMF agent William Brandt. Renner's character proved to be popular, returning for 2015's "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation." Since then, two sequels have debuted, but there's no trace of Brandt. While speaking with Collider, Renner explained that he left the Mission: Impossible franchise to focus on his family and other commitments. 

"Yeah. I had to leave that. I was supposed to do more with them," the actor said. For a brief moment, it felt like Renner was going to become a fixture of the never-ending franchise. While he had nothing but positive things to say about Cruise and the series creatives, his decision to leave came because he had to focus on more important things. "We had so much fun, and I love that character a lot. It requires a lot of time away. It's all in London. I had to go be a dad. It just wasn't gonna work out then," he said. 

Because the Mission: Impossible films are so intense and require tons of prep work, it makes sense that Renner stepped away from the franchise to be with his family. While he isn't in "Mission: Impossible — Fallout" or "Dead Reckoning — Part One," it's not an impossible mission to imagine him stepping into Brandt's shoes once again. 

Now that some time has passed, Jeremy Renner thinks he's ready to return to Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie's toy box. "Maybe now that my daughter is older that could happen. I'd always jump into a Mission: Impossible anytime and back into Brandt. It's great," he told Collider. With "Mission: Impossible 8" reportedly dealing with delays because of a $29 million problem, it's possible that Renner could be brought in for a quick cameo. 

Renner reprising his role would be a major win since Rebecca Ferguson has seemingly retired Ilsa Faust, making the core crew smaller. It's fascinating that Renner left Mission: Impossible since at one point, he was poised to take over for Cruise. Focusing on his daughter after "Rogue Nation" was likely quite important, as Renner had to dedicate considerable time to 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," which has him front-and-center. Ultimately, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was likely more pertinent, as he was a major player in that franchise. Fans will be pleased to know that McQuarrie tried his best to include Renner in 2018's "Fallout," but things didn't work out. 

Even though Hawkeye's future in the MCU seems relatively quiet right now, the actor is busier than ever. After Renner was in critical condition after a scary snowplow accident, he is back with a 3rd season of his thriller series, "Mayor of Kingstown."