Just when fans thought Tom Cruise was ready to kiss his character Ethan Hunt goodbye with ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’, new reports hint at his possible return. Months after the project was promoted as the final chapter in the ‘MI’ franchise, fresh speculation suggests that a ninth instalment may already be in the works with an Oscar-winning filmmaker at the helm.Tom Cruise eyeing Chole Zhao to director MI9?Rumours spread like wildfire after a post by DeuxMoi, claimed that Cruise has approached filmmaker Chloe Zhao to write and direct ‘Mission: Impossible 9’. While the account noted that the information was anonymously submitted and “cannot be verified,” but claimed that the actor personally sought out the director and even implied that a script is currently underway.Chloe Zhao’s film careerZhao, known for her work on the Oscar-winning film ‘Nomadland’ and the current Oscar-nominated film ‘Hamnet’, made a splash in mainstream cinema when she directed Marvel Studios’ ‘Eternals’. The 2021 superhero film that followed a group of immortal beings on their mission to protect Earth from the ancient Deviants, did not fare well at the box office, despite winning over critics.Following her try with the superhero genre, Zhao entered the world of sci-fi with the pilot episode for a sequel series to ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, currently in development at Hulu. If the rumours turn out to be true, then Zhao would become the first new and first female filmmaker to direct an instalment in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise. Chloe Zhao set to make Oscar historyChloe Zhao’s film Hamnet has been nominated for eight awards at this year’s Oscars. After becoming only the second woman in Oscar history to win the award for Best Director for her drama Nomadland. She also added a page to the history books when she became only the second woman ever to receive multiple Academy Award nominations for Best Director, with a nomination for Hamnet at the 2026 Oscars. She joins Jane Campion as only the second woman to achieve this feat
