Mission: Impossible Is The New Standard Bond Has To Beat (Like Bourne Was)

screenrant.com:

James Bond is one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, but the Mission: Impossible movies, like the Bourne series before it, have steadily built up a reputation as the gold standard for the spy-thriller genre that threatens Bond's crown. Tom Cruise's action franchise has been around for over 25 years and will continue with the much-anticipated Mission: Impossible 7 in 2023. Mission: Impossible 8 then potentially brings Ethan Hunt's story to a close in 2024, but not before getting a chance to continue to evolve and expand the sub-genre.

Tom Cruise brought the 1960’ TV show Mission: Impossible to the big screen in 1996. Cruise’s mission statement was for each installment to be different, and brought in a new director each time, until director Christopher McQuarrie became the series’ MVP after Cruise. The franchise has improved with each movie, with 2018's Mission: Impossible – Fallout being the most critically and finically successful entry. Mission: Impossible is now considered by many to be the most consistent spy-thriller franchise, above both James Bond and Jason Bourne's respective series. Though Mission: Impossible 7 is having a tough time with COVID, resulting in a spiraling budget, there is little doubt that the finished film will continue the franchise’s tradition of surpassing itself once again.

Related: Mission: Impossible — How Old Ethan Hunt (& Tom Cruise) Is In Each Movie

While Mission: Impossible has gone from strength to strength, the Bourne franchise has stalled in recent years, with 2016's Jason Bourne being the last installment. A short-lived Jason Bourne TV show, Treadstone tried (and failed) to invigorate the franchise, being canceled after a single season. Matt Damon and/or Jeremy