Hayley Atwell already has some experience playing a spy thanks to her time as Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and now she’s bringing her espionage skills to the Mission: Impossible franchise. Word came in last fall that Atwell will star in Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8, though as is often the case with established franchises, details concerning her character in the Tom Cruise-led franchise were kept under wraps at the time.
Now director/writer Christopher McQuarrie has shed some light on how Hayley Atwell fits into the next two Mission: Impossible movies, and while he didn’t go so far as to call her character a villain, it does sound like she’ll be causing quite the stir. While talking about writing familiar characters like Ethan Hunt, Luther Stickell and Benji Dunn, McQuarrie noted Atwell’s character will be destructive and will have an impact on the core team in ways that will hopefully “evolve” the franchise and keep it from growing stale. He said:
To call Hayley Atwell’s character a “destructive force of nature” is a bold description and it definitely indicates that she’ll be a major player in Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 rather than someone just passing through. Christopher McQuarrie didn’t clarify whether or not Atwell’s character will be testing the protagonists as a fellow IMF member or as an antagonist, although he did note that Atwell has established a “vibration” with franchise lead Tom Cruise.
