Tom Cruise on Friday honoured his Mission Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie as ‘Director of the Year’ at CinemaCon on Friday, minutes before unveiling an exclusive first look of his upcoming film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning continues the spy thriller franchise from Dead Reckoning, with Ethan Hunt (Cruise) facing a dangerous rogue AI, known as The Entity.

Cruise praised the director for his help on projects like Top Gun: Maverick, as well as his contributions to films such as World War Z with Brad Pitt.

Speaking on the occasion, Cruise said that Dead Reckoning, which McQuarrie and he made together, was a milestone for moviemakers, because it helped establish safety protocols that got the industry back to work during the pandemic.

“He didn’t do it for personal glory, but in recognition of the responsibility we had for others,” Cruise said. “We were able to keep people working safely throughout that time period.”

“Christopher McQuarrie, McQ, is not just my dear friend, my creative brother, and director of the year, he is an artist for all time,” the actor later posted on social media.

On Saturday, the makers shared a 13-second clip showcasing the stunts Cruise has performed during his stint as Ethan Hunt in the franchise. It also teases more breathtaking stunts in the upcoming instalment. “What scares me more is what we have planned for Mission: Impossible 8,” McQuarrie says in the video.

The Final Reckoning brings back franchise stalwarts like Simon Pegg, as well as Esai Morales, who served as the antagonist in the previous film. The cast also includes Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, and Rolf Saxon, all of whom appeared in previous instalments.

Newcomers to the series include Janet McTeer, Hannah Waddingham, and Nick Offerman. McQuarrie, who has helmed three previous Mission: Impossible movies, returns as the director. He wrote the script with Erik Jendresen.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning will release in theaters on May 23.