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Brian De Palma’s 1996 filmMission: Impossiblelaid the groundwork for what would become one of the most iconic spy action franchises in cinema history. While it is renowned for Tom Cruise’s extreme stunts and magnetic performance, the franchise also owes a significant part of its success to key advice from none other than George Lucas.
With a single, insightful suggestion to set things up for the audience, Lucas helped shape the vision ofMission: Impossible, leaving an indelible mark on the series that continues to influence its direction to this day.
Director Revealed HowMission: ImpossibleInitially Lacked a Clear Plot Setup
In an appearance on theLight the Fusepodcast,Mission: Impossibledirector Brian De Palma revealedGeorge Lucas‘ significant impact on the 1996 spy action film, which has since become one of the most popular franchises globally.
The filmmaker revealed that theStar Warscreator saw an early cut of the movie, which included a jealousy subplot including Jon Voight’s character, his wife, andTom Cruise’sEthan Hunt.
Describing the scene as “strange,” the filmmaker shared that it preceded the first mission but lacked a clear purpose or setup, leading to confusion about the plot’s direction. He recalled,
In the beginning, we had this very strange scene – it’s hard for me to remember now – with [Jon] Voight and somehow the jealous thing with the wife and Tom, and then we got into the first mission.
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And, when Lucas saw the cut, he pointed out that the plot lacked a clear setup for the audience to understand the mission and the characters, which became a defining structure for the film and contributed to its success.
George Lucas’ Crucial Advice That Reshaped Tom Cruise’sMission: Impossible
During his conversation onLight the Fusepodcast,Brian De Palmaalso revealed that it was George Lucas, who pointed out that the film lacked a substantial plot setup to introduce the characters and mission to the audience.
He shared that after Lucas saw the cut, he told him,“What are these people doing?… There’s no setup to this thing. You’ve gotta set this thing up!” He further recalled how Lucas elaborated to him that the film required a scene where the team would gather to receive instructions.
He recalled his advice,
You gotta have that scene where they’re all sitting around the table and everybody gets their instructions about what’s gonna happen… And tell the audience what they’re supposed to do.
Palma shared that he followed up on the advice and reshot the scene, tweaking it as per Lucas’s suggestion.Mission: Impossibleeventually grew into a major franchise, with various filmmakers like John Woo, J.J. Abrams, Brad Bird, and Christopher McQuarrie taking the reins.
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McQuarrie is once again set to direct the eighth installment of the franchise, marking his fourthMission: Impossiblefilm with Tom Cruise returning as IMF agent Ethan Hunt.
Mission: Impossiblefilm series is available to watch on Paramount+.
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3447
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
