Mission: Impossible 7 director denies Uncharted 2 influences

Cameron Frew
Stills of the train scenes from Uncharted 2 and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1

Is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 inspired by Uncharted 2? Well, according to the director, “not remotely.”

M:I7 is full of jaw-dropping, exhilarating set pieces: the Rome car chase, Grace and Gabriel’s Venice sword fight, the real-life base jump from a motorbike, and best of all, everything that happens on the train.

As the train unstoppably speeds towards a steep drop-off at the end of the tracks, Ethan Hunt and Grace are forced to sprint, leap, and climb their way to safety through a gauntlet of deadly obstacles. In one scene, they’re left dangling as debris plummets past their bodies within an inch of taking their lives.

If you’ve played Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the similarities are obvious, with Nathan Drake having to climb a train that derails over a cliff – but according to Christopher McQuarrie, it wasn’t “remotely” inspired by the acclaimed game.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 isn’t inspired by Uncharted 2

Bruce Straley, a co-director of Uncharted 2, took to Twitter to respond to fans’ comparisons of the two sequences. “The sincerest form of flattery!” he tweeted, alongside a winking emoji.

The tweet has been viewed more than 1.1 million times, with several fans praising both set pieces – however, McQuarrie has already confirmed that he wasn’t inspired by the game.

On Threads, the filmmaker was asked if he’d ever played or was influenced by Uncharted “for *that* scene, because that’s all I thought about,” and he responded: “Not remotely. I honestly know very little about the world.”

Another user told him he’d love the games, and he replied: “I used the word [uncharted] in the literal sense in a post years ago and have been hearing that ever since. Games are just something I know nothing about.”

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 is in cinemas worldwide now. Check out our other coverage below:

Related Topics

About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he's also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.