Simon Pegg, Tom Cruise’s co-star in “Mission: Impossible,” said the Hollywood star reportedly clashed with the CEO of Paramount during the filming of “Ghost Protocol” to keep his role in the franchise.
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During his appearance on Rob Lowe’s podcast, “Literally!”, on December 18, Pegg stated that the franchise star had to speak up to retain his role as Ethan Hunt.
“I remember one time, when we were making ‘Ghost Protocol,’ and Paramount was trying to position Jeremy Renner as a replacement for him in a way,” Pegg recalled.
“And Tom flew from Vancouver to Los Angeles and cornered [then Paramount CEO] Brad Grey at a party and said, ‘No, this is not going to happen,’” Pegg added.
“He brought in McQ [Christopher McQuarrie], McQ rewrote the script, and Tom held his ground,” Pegg reported.
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” was released in 2011 and marked the fourth time Tom Cruise played the IMF agent. Jeremy Renner made his debut in the franchise as William Brandt.
Four years later, Renner returned to his role in “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.”
Pegg portrayed Benji Dunn in six of the franchise’s eight films.
Representatives for Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner declined to comment on Pegg’s statement.
Photos: Instagram @tomcruise and Paramount+. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
