Mission Impossible: Fallout was Supposed to Kill Off Jeremy Renner's Character

Jeremy Renner's Agent Brandt was introduced in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol in the hopes that he would replace Tom Cruise. Cruise, however, is just as active in the franchise as ever, and director Chris McQuarrie reveals that he would have had Brandt killed off in Fallout were it not for Renner's refusal to cameo.

Talking to Empire, McQuarrie explains:

"So I said to Renner, ‘Hey listen, I have this idea for an opening sequence where you sacrifice yourself to save the team, and that the mission-gone-wrong not only involves losing the plutonium, but involves the death of a team member.' And Jeremy was like, ‘Thanks, but no thanks' […] He was smart not to take the short paycheck for three days of work and getting blown up."

We don't really know why Renner decided to refuse, but I think that it has something to do with his work on Avengers 4. Plus, I would actually love to see him come back to the MI franchise in the future. He's actually a good addition to Ethan Hunt's team, and he could also go toe-to-toe with Hunt himself.

Fallout is getting some pretty great reviews, and that's thanks to the addition of Henry Cavill to the cast as well as the mind-blowing stunt work that Tom Cruise has been able to pull off. I have no doubt that we're getting more MI films in the future; hopefully Renner would have the time to come back as Agent Brandt.

Check out Mission Impossible: Fallout in theaters now.

See Also: Simon Pegg Makes Fun of Henry Cavill's Moustache Ruining Justice League