Tom Cruise is back again as Ethan Hunt for a seventh time in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.

Back in 1996, few expected an enduring franchise to emerge from Mission: Impossible. In the 26 years since Brian De Palma’s taut espionage thriller was first released, we’ve seen five sequels, four different directors, and a film series that has cemented itself as one of the slickest action film series that Hollywood has ever put out.

Read more: Mission: Impossible recap: The story of the Tom Cruise spy series so far

Titled Dead Reckoning Part One, it immediately follows on from the events of 2018’s Mission: Impossible - Fallout, and is the first of a two-parter for Tom Cruise’s thrill-seeking superspy Ethan Hunt.

Ahead of its streaming release, here’s everything you need know about Dead Reckoning…

How to stream Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Dead Reckoning Part One will become available to buy from Prime Video and Apple TV on Wednesday, 11 October, before hitting DVD, 4K UHD and Blu Ray on Monday, 6 November.

The film originally hit cinemas on Monday, 10 July, after several delays. Production was initially supposed to commence in February 2020, but the Covid pandemic halted proceedings to such an extent that the cameras only began rolling seven months later.

Several reports emanating from the Dead Reckoning set since the original delay would confirm a number of hold-ups, including a leaked audio recording of Cruise lambasting crew members for not following Covid prevention protocol.

The special features for the home entertainment release include new behind-the-scenes features, a director commentary, and much more.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One reviews

The film has garnered largely positive reviews from critics, picking up a 96% score on reviews aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Our own Roxy Simons called Dead Reckoning Part One "an exhilarating addition to the franchise," praising its "intensity and humour."

Meanwhile, The Guardian made light of its keynote stunts — something Cruise has become infamous for performing himself — while patting the star on the back for his die-hard dedication to Hunt.

Find out what others had to say by reading our Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One review round-up.

Dead Reckoning: What the critics thought

• Yahoo Movies UK: Tom Cruise's action franchise still has spark (4-min read)

• The Guardian: Tom Cruise does it better (4-min read)

• Evening Standard: Tom Cruise has pulled off another miracle (3-min read)

• The Independent: As muscular, extravagant and old school as its star (3-min read)

• Digital Spy: Mission: Impossible 7 doesn't live up to its spectacular action (5-min read)

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One director and writer

After writing and directing the previous two Mission: Impossible movies in Fallout and 2015’s Rogue Nation, Christopher McQuarrie is back again to helm Dead Reckoning.

The filmmaker has also enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Cruise, having worked with him on both Jack Reacher and critical darling Top Gun: Maverick — with the latter currently in the running for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One plot

The film's official synopsis (which, if we're honest, could just as easily apply to the previous three instalments) explains: "In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands.

"With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan's past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most."

A pulsating trailer was dropped back in May 2022 though, which revealed little on the film’s central premise but showcased the thrills and stunts that we’ve grown accustomed to and have adored over the years.

Watch a trailer for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

As explicitly shown in the trailer, the film has many amazing action set-pieces including: Cruise ramping off a cliff on a motorcycle before jumping off and opening a parachute, a city-wide car chase that leaves Rome in tatters, and Cruise and Morales fighting atop a high-speed train before it crashes in another homage to the first movie.

Read more: Tom Cruise's most daring stunts

A new full-length trailer was released for Dead Reckoning Part One on Wednesday, 17 May, which gave fans an even better look at what is to come in the franchise's latest film.

Watch the new trailer for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Cruise stated that the motorcycle stunt was “by far and away the most dangerous thing” they’ve ever attempted, leaving little doubt that more rip-roaring sequences will be revealed once the official trailer drops nearer to Dead Reckoning’s release.

For a closer look at Cruise's antics, take a look at the behind-the-scenes featurette below:

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One cast

Joining Cruise’s Hunt is his core team of tech whiz Luther Stickell and fellow field agent Benji Dunn (Pulp Fiction’s Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead respectively), with Dune’s Rebecca Ferguson making her return as former MI6 operative Ilsa Faust.

The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby also reprises her part as Alanna Mitsopolis, a mysterious arms dealer who stole the show in Fallout.

Others confirmed for Dead Reckoning include Hayley Atwell (Captain America), Shea Whigham (Joker), Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy), and La Bamba’s Esai Morales — who replaced Nicholas Hoult (The Menu) as the film’s lead antagonist.

Perhaps the most notable cast addition so far has to be Henry Czerny, who reunites with Cruise’s Hunt as former IMF director Eugene Kittridge — a character we haven’t seen since the first movie way back in 1996. Czerny’s Kittridge was an intriguing addition to Dead Reckoning, and he plays a major role in connecting the dots to Hunt’s storied past.

Watch: Go behind the scenes on Mission: Impossible 7's big stunt

With Part Two scheduled for release next year, expect more questions to be answered in the coming months that’s sure to excite adrenaline junkies craving more death-defying antics from Cruise and company.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is available to download from Wednesday, 11 October and buy on DVD, 4K UHD and Blu Ray from Monday, 6 November.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two will be released on June 28, 2024.