The new projects would be the seventh and eighth installments, and McQuarrie’s third and fourth times at bat.

Tom Cruise is expected to return as always cool man of action Ethan Hunt, the agent in the Impossible Missions Force that uses tricks and misdirection and plain old muscle to maintain peace and world order.

McQuarrie first took the reins with 2015’s Rogue Nation, the fifth installment that grossed $682 million worldwide and introduced Rebecca Ferguson as a flirty foil.

McQuarrie became the only filmmaker in the franchise’s history to return for a second round with Fallout, the 2018 entry that made $791 million while upping the stunt ante (and breaking Cruise’s ankle in the process). It also was one of the most celebrated studio movies of the year, even winning a Critics Choice Award Sunday.

In the aftermath of Fallout, McQuarrie found himself courted by many studio suitors who were opening up their pantries for him. Warner Bros. even tried to seduce him with DC projects, but he decided to take a breather and stay true to his friend and partner, Cruise.

McQuarrie is repped by CAA, Key Creatives and Myman Greenspan.