Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1's excellent cast is filled with stars who appeared in previous installments of the action-forward series – including Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and Henry Czerny – but one familiar face missing from the ensemble is Angela Bassett. There were plans to bring the Oscar-nominated actor back as Erika Sloane, the character she played in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, but the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately prevented that from happening.
So what was her part going to be? That's a question that has been asked of writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, and answered. Speaking with Variety, the filmmaker spoke about the return of Erika Sloane that didn't come together, and he explained that she was going to be featured in the early scene in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 where members of the intelligence community gather to discuss the dangerous artificial intelligence known as The Entity. Said McQuarrie,
