Tom Cruise ‘Will Never Stop’: ‘Top Gun’ Star Now Reconsidering His Stated Retirement Plans

For any fans of Ethan Hunt or Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, this is some great news.

For anyone concerned about the general state of Hollywood or the dwindling number of actual movie stars left, this is even better news.

Star actor Tom Cruise told The Hollywood Reporter last Sunday that his previously stated desire of acting into about his 80’s was no longer the goal.

Cruise was at an event Sunday celebrating the premiere of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” in New York — the eighth installment of the venerable action franchise that first hit movie theaters in 1996.

Since then, it’s become a cultural phenomenon, with even its theme song reaching iconic status.

Fast forward all these years later from that original 1996 film, and it’s only fair to wonder just how much longer the 62-year-old Cruise can continue to attempt his own death-defying stunts.

The answer? Apparently for quite a while.

As mentioned above, Cruise had previously stated that he wanted to wrap up with acting around the age of 82 — the age at which Harrison Ford similarly slowed down his acting.

With that endgame now potentially in view (Cruise would turn 82 in about 2045, which is closer to today’s date than the year 2000), the Reporter felt compelled to ask him about it.

You can watch the interaction at the “Mission: Impossible” red carpet for yourself below:

At the #MissionImpossible—The Final Reckoning premiere, Tom Cruise reveals he will keep making movies into his 100s pic.twitter.com/dZdzfEKnAf

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 18, 2025

“I actually said I’m going to be making movies into my 80’s,” Cruise told the Reporter, clarifying that he did not just mean “Mission: Impossible” films.

“Actually, I’m going to make them into my 100’s,” Cruise said, with only a hint of jest. “I will never stop. I will never stop doing action, I will never stop doing drama, comedy.”

He added once more, “I’m excited.”

While “Mission: Impossible” is undoubtedly Cruise’s biggest “blockbuster” franchise, it was the film auteur’s vision for the immensely pro-America 2022 “Top Gun: Maverick” film — reviving an ’80s classic, no small feat — that managed to balance Hollywood bombast with explosive patriotism into one hot ticket.

In fact, Cruise’s run of films post-2020 involve a number of tentpole events that have seemingly propped up an otherwise dilapidated Hollywood industry.

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” hit theaters on Friday.

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