Tom Cruise Takes Over Netflix!

Action fans, mark your calendars!

Starting this Wednesday, April 1, 2026, Netflix is becoming the new “safe house” for Ethan Hunt. The streamer is adding the first five installments of the Mission: Impossible franchise to its library, joining the recently added Dead Reckoning.

Mission: Impossible (1996)
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023)

While this is a massive win for subscribers, the collection isn’t quite complete. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) is notably absent from the Netflix April lineup. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) is available on Paramount+ and as a rental on Prime Video. Additionally, the most recent theatrical release, The Final Reckoning (2025), remains exclusive to Paramount+ for the time being, but is being added to Prime Video Friday April 3, 2026.

The Mission: Impossible franchise is one of the rare cinematic anomalies that actually seems to get better—and more daring—with age. What began in 1996 as a sleek, paranoid spy thriller has evolved into a global masterclass in practical filmmaking, largely because Tom Cruise didn’t just play Ethan Hunt—he took ownership of the franchise’s DNA. While other long-running series lean on CGI and stunt doubles, Cruise has turned these films into a personal crusade for “real” cinema. His insistence on performing his own death-defying feats—from hanging off the side of an Airbus A400M to shattering his ankle jumping between London rooftops—has transformed the series from a standard spy procedural into a high-stakes theater of “how is he still alive?” moments.

This relentless dedication has set a gold standard that few other franchises can match. Under the guidance of visionary directors like Brian De Palma and Brad Bird, and eventually finding a definitive, high-octane rhythm with writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, the series shifted its focus to match Cruise’s growing ambition. By placing the star in genuine peril—whether he’s scaling the Burj Khalifa or riding a motorcycle off a Norwegian cliff—the films create a visceral tension that digital effects simply can’t replicate. At its core, the Mission: Impossible saga is a testament to Cruise’s singular vision: a blend of technical wizardry and a surprisingly deep emotional core centered on loyalty, proving that as long as there is a “mission” that seems impossible, Cruise will be there to physically conquer it.

Mission: Impossible

1996 PG-13

An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.

Tom Cruise Jon Voight Emmanuelle Béart

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Mission: Impossible II

2000 PG-13

IMF agent Ethan Hunt is sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called “Chimera”.

Tom Cruise Dougray Scott Thandiwe Newton

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Mission: Impossible III

2006 PG-13

IMF agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancée in response.

Tom Cruise Michelle Monaghan Ving Rhames

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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

2011 PG-13

The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization’s name.

Tom Cruise Jeremy Renner Simon Pegg

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Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

2015 PG-13

Ethan and his team take on their most impossible mission yet when they have to eradicate an international rogue organization as highly skilled as they are and committed to destroying the IMF.

Tom Cruise Rebecca Ferguson Jeremy Renner

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Mission: Impossible – Fallout

2018 PG-13

A mission gone wrong forces Ethan Hunt and his team to work with the CIA — and familiar faces — in a race to save the world from nuclear devastation.

Tom Cruise Henry Cavill Ving Rhames

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Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

2023 PG-13

With time running out and enemies at every turn, Ethan Hunt and his IMF team race to prevent a rogue artificial intelligence from taking over the world.

Tom Cruise Hayley Atwell Ving Rhames

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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning 2025 PG-13

Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on a high-stakes mission to track down a formidable artificial intelligence known as the Entity, which has successfully infiltrated global intelligence networks and poses an unprecedented threat.

Tom Cruise Hayley Atwell Ving Rhames