Glen Powell addresses rumor that he's replacing Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible

The trailer for Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning has dropped, and fans are ecstatic. The approval rating for the trailer, with its dramatic stakes and references to previous films, is through the roof, and fans are getting wistful upon realizing that Tom Cruise will be stepping away from the franchise.

Cruise will retire the character of Ethan Hunt, but there's a rumor that he wants the franchise to continue with a new star at the helm. He's been a producer on the Mission: Impossible films since 1996, so the decision would make sense. The actor he allegedly has in mind to take over for him is Glen Powell.

Powell claimed his mom wouldn't let him

Cruise and Powell became fast friends during the making of Top Gun: Maverick (2018), and since then, the former has taken a mentor role in the career of the latter. Powell often asks Cruise's advice on selecting roles, and Cruise even showed up to support the rising star during the Euro premiere of the 2024 blockbuster Twisters.

Glen Powell addressed the rumors that he would be replacing Cruise during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. The host FaceTimed Powell and attempted to get information on the future of Mission: Impossible, but the actor playfully avoided any concrete answers.

"My mom would never let me do that," Powell quipped. "[Mission: Impossible] is the worst gig in town, everybody knows that. It's a death trap." The actor's comments were delivered with tongue firmly in cheek, as the M:I franchise has become famous for Cruise's increasingly dangerous stunts.

Powell has become Cruise's protege in recent years

Powell laughed upon dubbing the franchise a "death trap," however, which led Pat McAfee to question whether or not the actor was telling the truth. "He's lying!," McAfee exclaimed during the call. The two men quickly changed the subject, and talked about Powell's role in the upcoming film The Running Man.

Tom Cruise flirted with the idea of handing the franchise over to another actor, Jeremy Renner, in 2011, but the success of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol led to a franchise resurgence and Cruise's continued involvement.

The actor is pushing 60, however, and has made a conscious decision to move into more dramatic, less action-based fare after the completion of Final Reckoning. If ever there were a time to hand off the reins, it would be now, and Powell is clearly in Cruise's good graces.

Time will tell if Powell was telling the truth or if Pat McAfee was onto something.