Something stinks in Hollywood this morning.
Nicholas Hoult, a rising star, hot, young, just 30 years old was supposed to play a villain in the next two “Mission Impossible” movies. Now, he’s out.
Esai Morales, a very good actor we all like, who rose to fame in “La Bamba,” is replacing him without even a script change. Morales will be 58 in October, the same age Tom Cruise will achieve in six weeks, on July 3rd.
Deadline.com reported the news first but didn’t question it.
Is it a case of reverse age-ism? That would be a first. Or was Hoult making Tom Cruise nervous? The official word on this that Hoult couldn’t do it because of “scheduling changes.” Indeed, “Mission Impossible 7” is late starting its shoot because of the pandemic. But every movie is, and Hoult does not have another project listed on the imdb. He was scheduled for these two “Mission Impossible” movies, which would have given his career a gigantic boost.
But if you Cruise, you lose. “Mission Impossible” has already chewed up and spit out other younger actors like Jeremy Renner and Henry Cavill, each of whom was terrific in the series. Both of those actors got such good notices that fans wondered if they’d succeed Cruise in the franchise. But Tom Cruise, who will be 61 when the 8th installment appears, will play Ethan Hunt until he’s scaling a nursing home, don’t you worry.
As for Hoult, he’s hitting his stride. He’s probably bummed about this news, but youth will triumph. We’ll be seeing a lot him in the next fifteen years. His mission is not impossible.
