Angela Bassett lit up the red carpet on Wednesday, May 21, at the Atlanta premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the eighth installment in the Tom Cruise-led action spy saga. Bassett reprises her role as Erika Sloane—formerly CIA Director, now President of the United States.
Speaking about her character, who first appeared in 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Bassett called the role both “groundbreaking and aspirational.” She noted the significance of portraying a female U.S. president, a milestone yet to be reached in real life
“It’s a woman in that position that unfortunately, we haven’t seen in our country yet,” Bassett said, referencing the real-life absence of a female U.S. president. “But we do see women of authority, intellect, and capability in other positions. This is just another glass ceiling that we have to break through.”
Bassett added, “Sometimes we have to see it in order to believe it.”
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, The Final Reckoning follows Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team as they race to prevent a rogue AI known as the Entity from triggering a global catastrophe. The film reunites franchise veterans Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Henry Czerny, with Bassett’s President Sloane becoming a key player in the fight to stop the Entity’s escalating influence.
When asked what she brings to the franchise, Bassett, 66, said, “I want to bring me—me-all of me and all of mine.”
The Mission: Impossible franchise is not Bassett’s first foray into action, having played Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther franchise.
Production on The Final Reckoning was expansive. Initially planned to be shot back-to-back with Dead Reckoning Part One, the film faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming spanned locations including the UK, Norway, South Africa, Malta, and Abu Dhabi. With an estimated $300–400 million budget, it ranks among the most expensive films ever made.
Rotten Tomatoes rating is at a 79% approval rating.The film premiered in Tokyo on May 5, screened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, and opens in U.S. theaters on May 23.
