Earlier this month, it was a surprising revelation when we learned that a flashback cold open sequence featuring a de-aged Tom Cruise was considered for the beginning of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1... but it turns out that we didn't even have all of the cool details about the not-to-be scene. Not only was the blockbuster going to feature a de-aged Cruise, but there was consideration of pairing him with a de-aged Julia Roberts.
Christopher McQuarrie reveals more about the abandoned cold open for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 on the new episode of the Empire Spoilers Special podcast, providing details about the setting, the vision, and the A-lister cameo. The writer/director explained that he was going to fully embrace a late-1980s vibe, and that would have included having a period-accurate breakout star: Julia Roberts. McQuarrie explained,
