Summary
- Nicholas Hoult was initially cast as the villain in Mission: Impossible 7, but COVID-19 prevented his participation, leading to changes in the film's storyline and the casting of Esai Morales.
- The performance of Esai Morales as the villain Gabriel received praise, and his character's presence opened up new possibilities for exploring Ethan Hunt's past.
- Despite missing out on Mission: Impossible 7, Nicholas Hoult continues to be involved in various projects, including upcoming films such as Nosferatu and Garfield.
X-Men alum Nicholas Hoult almost faced off against Tom Cruise on the big screen this summer. Despit Hoult's absence, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One still ended up with a very intriguing villain who matched wits with Ethan Hunt (Cruise). In fact, part of the reason The Entity’s servant Gabriel stood out in the movie was because of the performance provided by the actor portraying him, Esai Morales. However, if it hadn’t been for the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicholas Hoult would have played the antagonist in Mission: Impossible 7.
Christopher McQuarrie said in an interview on the Script Apart podcast at the 18:27 mark:
"It would've been a very different movie if the pandemic had not taken Nick [Hoult] out of the running. We replaced Nick with Esai Morales, who I had seen on Ozark — thought he was a really great villain. That opened up a world of possibility about Ethan’s past because Esai and Tom are about the same age..."
Hoult most recently appeared on the Silver Screen in a pair of horror-based vehicles. In 2022, he paired up with Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu. And in 2023, Hoult played the titular role alongside Nicolas Cage’s Count Dracula in Renfeld. But had it not been for the pandemic, Hoult would have gone toe-to-toe and stunt-for-stunt with Tom Cruise.
COVID-19 Sidelined Hoult, Morales Signed On
Nicholas Hoult is currently starring in his third season of Hulu’s original comedic drama titled The Great. But filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie really wanted the actor to square off against Ethan Hunt (Cruise) in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Hoult’s absence actually led to a number of changes, which might not have happened otherwise. In fact, the dreaded artificial intelligence terrorizing the world in Mission: Impossible 7, known as The Entity, might not have been in the film had Hoult been able to participate.
McQuarrie said at the 17:55 mark of the Script Apart podcast:
"The Entity didn't exist as the Entity when the story began. In fact, neither did Gabriel. Nick Hoult was originally cast as the villain in our film because Tom had really liked Nick Hoult when he auditioned for Top Gun: Maverick. He's a very talented actor. He [Cruise] didn't think he was right for that movie, but he recognized that he [Hoult] was a supremely talented actor. And so, we cast Nick based solely on that, not really knowing where our story was going."
Cruise and McQuarrie will return to theaters in 2024 with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 2. And Hoult has a number of projects coming up in varying degrees of production, including two high-profile projects currently scheduled for release in 2024: Nosferatu and Garfield.