The actor played William Brandt, whose last appearance dates from the fifth opus of the saga, Rogue Nation. Warning, spoilers!
A few days ago, in the columns of Collider, Jeremy Renner confided that he had to leave the ranks of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) after Rogue Nation to take care of his daughter, the London filming of the saga of Tom Cruise not suiting his needs or his desires as a young dad.
Guest by Josh Horowitz on the podcast set Happy Sad Confused (probably as part of the promotion of season 3 of The Mayor of Kingstownavailable on Paramount + since June 3), the interpreter of William Brandt clarified that in reality, Christopher McQuarriethe director of the last four parts of the franchise, offered him to reprise his character in Mission Impossible: Fallout.
Jeremy Renner explains why he left Mission: Impossible
An offer that the actor was quick to refuse, because the scenario involved… the death of his character!
“They tried to take me across the ocean for a week, just so they could kill off my character, and I said: 'No, you don't have the right to do that. You're not going to drag me out there and kill my character. Go and see if I'm there!', declares the actor. If you want to use my character, you have to do it right.”
At the end of Rogue NationWilliam Brandt retires from the IMF, a story line motivated by Jeremy Renner's family situation, but which also meant that the actor could hope one day to return to travel the world alongside Tom Cruise and Simon Peggas he explained to Collider :
“Maybe now that my daughter is older I could come back. I would always jump at the chance to do a Impossible mission, and to return to the character of Brandt. It’s a great experience.”
A plan which would have been strongly thwarted by the death of his character, against which the actor therefore fought tooth and nail:
“I shouted at [le réalisateur Christopher McQuarrie], he reveals on Josh Horowitz’s microphone. Man, I’m not going to let you do it to me backwards, I’m not going to let you!”
Finally, it is Henry Cavillinterpreter of the double character of August Walker/John Lark, who will bear the brunt of Christopher McQuarrie's vision in fallout. The Superman of Zack Snyder will have thus participated in the biggest success of the spy franchise, because falloutit's almost 800 million dollars at the worldwide box office, compared to around 700 million for Ghost Protocol Or Rogue NationAnd “only” 560 million for the latest, Dead Reckoning.
A failed act for Jeremy Renner, who does not regret his decision however. Moreover, the Avenger also took advantage of this interview (available in full below) to put an end to the rumors which announced, at the time, that Paramount planned for him to take over from Tom Cruise at the helm. of the saga.
“No, Tom has always been the conductor. Changing the story would be his decision. And as he matures as an actor, he kind of wants to hang on. He's remaking Top Gun, is not it ? He's rebooting this, and building on the elements of his life that he's comfortable with now… this guy is a beast, and works harder than anyone else I know.”
While waiting to know if he can take William Brandt's fitted suit and polished shoes out of the closet, Jeremy Renner will soon take his first steps in another series of films: At loggerheads.