With the rise of artificial intelligence’s influence in Hollywood being protested by actors and writers, Tom Cruise’s latest film shares a common foe.
Tom Cruise’s personal mission to be the savior of Hollywood is reflected perfectly in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. In the new blockbuster movie and seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Ethan Hunt tries to save the world from an advanced AI called the Entity that possesses enough knowledge and power to allow anyone who can harness its control of the world. This fight against artificial intelligence also happens to be a huge problem currently facing Hollywood, which aligns with Tom Cruise’s dedication to saving the traditional movie-going experience at theaters around the world.
The dual SAG and WGA strike that began on July 14, 2023 emphasizes the imminent threat that artificial intelligence has on the entertainment industry. Producers and executives at prominent studios such as Warner Bros. and Universal have begun implementing advanced technologies and new policies that allow them to digitally use actors’ likenesses without authorization, which ignited the first Screen Actors Guild strike in 23 years. The Writers Guild has already been on strike since early May 2023, with similar concerns about the threat of screenplays being generated by artificial intelligence that would essentially eliminate the significance of all Hollywood writers.
Tom Cruise Has Been On A Personal Mission To Save Hollywood For The Last 3 Years
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Cruise has been on a mission to save Hollywood and preserve the traditional theatrical experience. The massive box-office success of Top Gun: Maverick which generated $1.49 billion in 2022 was the launching pad for Cruise’s efforts to revitalize interest in going to the movies. Cruise has increased his commitment to performing death-defying stunts to maintain movie theater appeal in ways that no other major Hollywood actor has done in recent memory. At 61 years old, Cruise’s risk-taking abilities have gotten more intense and daring all in an effort to save the diminishing glamour and influence of Hollywood.
The announcement of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two which is scheduled for a summer 2024 release is further evidence of Cruise’s single-handed effort to save a sinking Hollywood. These plans could change with the current SAG strike, which has halted production on the eighth installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise for the time being. Despite Cruise’s commitment to maintaining his status as Hollywood’s modern savior, he too will be forced to wait out the full duration of the strike before the actor has an opportunity to lead the charge at the summer box office once again.
Mission: Impossible 7’s AI Villain Reflects A New Threat To Tom Cruise & Hollywood
In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the threat that Ethan faces from incoming artificial intelligence arrives at the same time that Hollywood is struggling to figure out how to use AI properly. The looming threats of Hollywood being able to theoretically use the likeness of thousands of actors and reuse them throughout various productions without proper compensation or approval sounds like something out of a science-fiction novel. In fact, Black Mirror season 6 strangely debuted with an episode precisely about that issue, which until recently seemed like a completely fictitious cautionary tale that has now become all too real.
According to Variety, Steven Spielberg himself reflected on how Cruise “saved Hollywood’s ass” and attested that Top Gun: Maverick might have “saved the entire theatrical industry.” With early box-office opening weekend numbers of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One showing an expected No. 1 performance, there is a good possibility that Mission: Impossible 7 will be one of if not the highest-grossing movies of 2023. With the ending of Dead Reckoning Part One positioning Ethan and the Impossible Mission Force team to try and put a permanent end to the implied threat of the Entity, the timing of the SAG strike and the film’s release is uncanny at the very least.
Ethan’s Responsibility To Save The World Echoes Cruise’s Burden To Save Movies
Ethan’s devotion to saving the world from the Entity and those who wish to wield its insurmountable power echoes Tom Cruise’s commitment to saving movies. Former IMF director Eugene Kittridge tells Ethan at the end of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One that his possession of the key means that he alone can defeat the Entity and save the world. As Hollywood’s saving grace, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cruise thinks similarly about his ability to save the future of movies. His infamous angry rant on the set of Dead Reckoning Part One at crew members who broke COVIC-19 policies reveals how Cruise actually feels about the significance of his movies in Hollywood, indicating that his personal mission in life is truly not too far from Ethan Hunt’s mission in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.