Last month, fans of Mission: Impossible were given some exciting news. Paramount Pictures is bringing back Rogue Nation and Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie for two back-to-back Mission Impossible sequels arriving in 2021 and 2022. Now the studio has set late summer release dates for the anticipated double down on the Impossible Mission Force.

Paramount Pictures has set Mission: Impossible 7 for release on July 23, 2021, and Mission: Impossible 8 will arrive a little over a year later on August 5, 2022.

Considering how well Mission: Impossible – Fallout fared at the box office with a late summer release last year, it’s no surprise that Paramount wants to capitalize on the lack of blockbuster competition towards the end of the season. It’s much more likely that the sequels will rake in even more cash late in the summer, especially since August doesn’t usually bring many big movies to theaters

In addition to directing both sequels, Christopher McQuarrie will also be writing the scripts. McQuarrie has brought new life to the series, and under his guidance, the franchise has had significantly more continuity than previous installments. In fact, Fallout was the first time that a villain from the previous film, Sean Harris as Solomon Lane, stuck around for another movie. With back-to-back sequels planned, it’s likely that whatever happens in Mission: Impossible 7 will carry over into Mission: Impossible 8.

Of course, Tom Cruise will reprise his role as unstoppable IMF agent Ethan Hunt, but it’s not clear which of his teammates will be back. Considering Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust has become a big part of Ethan Hunt’s life in two movies now, it’s a safe bet that she’ll return. Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg also remain indispensable parts of the team as Luther and Benji, so there’s a good chance they’ll be back too.

As for any other returning cast members, there have been rumblings that Alec Baldwin and Henry Cavill may be back for one of the sequels. However, since both of them met a grisly end in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, their scenes would be flashbacks. Perhaps there’s something from the past that will be revealed which shakes the IMF to its core.

Honestly, one of the coolest things that the Mission: Impossible franchise could do is bring someone unexpected back from the past. What if a character like Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton of Westworld) from Mission: Impossible 2 feels betrayed by Ethan Hunt in some way and is looking for revenge? That could be rather exciting.

No matter what’s in store for these Mission Impossible sequels, I wouldn’t be surprised if the seventh installment ends with some kind of cliffhanger that has major ramifications for what comes next.