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Here we go! Our MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 live tweet (with co-hosts @DrewTailored & @CharlesH00d) starts now! Join us and use the hashtag #MissionWatchParty! (A thread)
A little background... In 1996 writer William Goldman (BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, THE PRINCESS BRIDE) was hired to pen the screenplay for M:I-2. After he wrote a draft, Cruise signed on to do the first sequel of his career! #MissionWatchParty
In 1997 director Oliver Stone (PLATOON, JFK, BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY) came on board, developing a script with David Marconi (ENEMY OF THE STATE) with a supercomputer as primary villain. Be sure to check out our episode about the script for Oliver Stone's M:I-2! #MissionWatchParty
Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga (STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT) came on board in 1998 as screenwriters, developing the story with Tom Cruise over a few months. Check out our interview with Ron Moore, which just came out on Friday! #MissionWatchParty
In February of 1998 Tom Cruise met with Wong Kar Wai to discuss directing the film. Talks didn't go far because weeks later John Woo was hired as director. But can you imagine what a Wong Kar Wai Mission: Impossible movie would look like? #MissionWatchParty
When production was about to begin in 1999, Robert Towne (CHINATOWN, SHAMPOO) was hired to rewrite Moore & Braga's script. Towne is also credited as a writer on the first Mission: Impossible movie. #MissionWatchParty
John Woo wanted this opening scene to have Ethan in his short haircut from the first movie. After it's revealed to be Ambrose wearing an Ethan mask, we'd get to see the glorious long hair for the first time when we encounter the real Ethan mountain climbing. #MissionWatchParty
John Woo told Time Out London: "Tom told me to forget about the first movie. He said what he wanted was a John Woo movie, and I think that's what I gave him. At least 75 percent anyway. The other 25 percent belongs to Robert Towne and Tom Cruise." #MissionWatchParty
Notice how there's no sound effect for the neck snapping? That's how you get a PG-13 rating. Can we please get John Woo's 3 hour long R-rated cut? (Yes, it's real.) #ReleaseTheWooCut #MissionWatchParty
This is a pretty great mask pull. And then we're introduced to the new voice chip technology that has continued through the series to this day! #MissionWatchParty
The title sequence was originally going to go here when the airplane blew up, but Cruise thought it was best if they push it to after the mountain climbing sequence. #MissionWatchParty
Cruise hung from a 2,000-ft cliff in Moab, Utah. There was no protection on the ground and he did the stunt himself, but he was strapped into a harness, which was removed in post. The jump he made covered about 15 feet, with Cruise reportedly injuring his shoulder while doing it.
Zap Mama's remixed version of "Iko Iko" plays on the soundtrack. The use of “Iko Iko” is a reference to Cruise’s RAIN MAN, which modernized a 1953 Mardi Gras song called “Jock-a-Mo.” #MissionWatchParty
John Woo told Time Out London: "I thought the first Mission: Impossible movie was just so cold. You never got a chance to see Tom Cruise smile. Really. It was just so very... cold." #MissionWatchParty
We hear some of the Limp Bizkit song here. Our episode next week you'll hear the full story of how the M:I-2 soundtrack came together, courtesy of soundtrack producer Mitchell Leib! You won't want to miss it because he's got some crazy stories. #MissionWatchParty
Wolf Priority! Clearly the highest priority. #MissionWatchParty
This movie and M:I-3 are the only ones in the franchise to not showcase moments from later in the movie in the opening title sequence, which was a trademark of the old TV series. #MissionWatchParty
Fun fact: this movie’s body count is 37. #MissionWatchParty
John Woo says the sexy love-at-first-sight moment with the flamenco dancers was inspired by the movie WEST SIDE STORY. #MissionWatchParty
Woo says Thandie's character was inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s role in HOW TO STEAL A MILLION. She was originally going to be a spy, but Woo changed her to a thief. Woo loved Thandie and said she had a very Audrey Hepburn or Ingrid Bergman quality. #MissionWatchParty
John Woo said he wanted to make "a charming movie, a love story." You can definitely feel it here in this sequence. #MissionWatchParty
Snap zooms! #MissionWatchParty
One of our favorite alter egos for Ethan... Mr. Keys, a security engineer in Spain! #MissionWatchParty
This flirtatious car chase was originally going to be the two just talking in a room. Woo thought this was a more exciting way to introduce their love affair. He also wanted the cars to move as if they were making love. #MissionWatchParty
That hair! #MissionWatchParty
To pull off the part where the cars are attached at the side and spinning together toward a cliff, a track and a giant turntable were built to move the cars in sync with one another. #MissionWatchParty
So is your hair, Ethan. So is your hair. #MissionWatchParty
Mission Commander Swanbeck! Let's hear it for all the Swanbecks out there! #MissionWatchParty
Ian McKellen was originally going to play Mission Commander Swanbeck, but there was a delay in production to bring the budget down and McKellen was no longer available. #MissionWatchParty
Producer Paula Wagner told Woo that Anthony Hopkins was interested in the part. Woo was so nervous he didn’t sleep for a few nights before meeting the legendary actor. Woo was surprised that Hopkins was a big action movie fan and was very aware of his work! #MissionWatchParty
Another consequence of the production bump (plus the extended production schedule) was Dougray Scott being forced to drop out of X-MEN. He was signed on to play Wolverine. Hugh Jackman went on to play the role in 9 movies from 2000 to 2017. #MissionWatchParty
WOOHOO!!! #MissionWatchParty
It was Tom Cruise's idea to use Alfred Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS as an influence for the story of this movie. If you haven't seen it, you should remedy that immediately. #MissionWatchParty
Robert Towne was called out for stealing the plot to NOTORIOUS by critic Stephen Farber in a big article in the LA Times, and Towne responded to the criticism by writing his own article in the LA Times defending himself. #MissionWatchParty
Robert Towne wrote: "Just as passengers in a 747 don't want their pilot agonizing like Hamlet at the controls, M:I-2 audiences want confidence, not complexity, at the controls of their wild ride in the theatre." Full article here: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jun-05-ca-37548-story.html #MissionWatchParty
“Then feel better!" Gotta love Cruise's delivery on that line. #MissionWatchParty
The little transponder chip that’s lodged into Nyah’s ankle looks pretty much exactly like the one they use in FALLOUT in Solomon Lane's neck. Was it a reference made on purpose? 
#MissionWatchParty
#MissionWatchParty
Steve Zahn was originally hired to play team member/helicopter pilot Billy Baird, but was replaced when production was delayed for a month because the budget was too high. #MissionWatchParty
He was replaced by Australian actor, John Polson, who is now a very successful TV director. He's directed episodes of Fringe, The Mentalist, The Walking Dead, and Elementary. #MissionWatchParty
LUTHER IS BACK! Too bad he doesn’t have any scuba work to do in this one. #ScubaLuther. #MissionWatchParty
Production designer Thomas E. Sanders (BRAVEHEART, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) created Ambrose’s house on the water in Sydney. It wasn’t actually a real house. Built of polystyrene, it was demolished after shooting. #MissionWatchParty
Ambrose never lets a scarf get away. #MissionWatchParty
This is Tom Cruise's cousin, William Mapother. You may remember him from IN THE BEDROOM or most likely the TV series "Lost." #MissionWatchParty
"We just rolled up a snowball and tossed it into hell. Now we'll see what chance it has." #MissionWatchParty
Creeeeeeeepyyyyyy. #MissionWatchParty
Fun fact: The costume designer for this movie was Lizzy Gardiner, who won an Oscar for Priscilla Queen of the Desert. #MissionWatchParty
This movie was mostly shot in Australia to take advantage of tax incentives. #MissionWatchParty #VisitAustralia
Does anyone own this Big Dogs shirt? #MissionWatchParty
This jealous henchman subplot recalls Martin Landau's dynamic with James Mason in Alfred Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST. And Landau was of course Rollin Hand in the original TV series! #MissionWatchParty
Richard Roxburgh’s accent is... interesting. Maybe they wanted to tone down the Australianness of everything? #VisitAustralia #MissionWatchParty
It’s not even subtext at this point. #MissionWatchParty
Horse racing is featured in a similar sequence in NOTORIOUS. #MissionWatchParty
Fun fact: A month into production, cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball (TOP GUN, TRUE ROMANCE) replaced Andrew Lesnie (who went on to shoot the LORD OF THE RINGS movies). "Stylistic differences" were cited for the reason it didn't work out with Lesnie. #MissionWatchParty
This Qantas koala toy was given out at Cineplex Theatres in Canada. Thank you to @fongolia for sharing this photo with us. #VisitAustralia #MissionWatchParty
Love those camera moves! #MissionWatchParty
It's not a good time, Luther. #MissionWatchParty
The plot of this movie is oddly fitting for 2020. It's kind of frightening. Hope everyone is staying safe out there. #MissionWatchParty
Uh oh, Ambrose is on to them! #MissionWatchParty
Time for @charlesh00d's favorite part: the mousetrap! It's cloaked in all these misdirections and plot twists so you don't get to enjoy it the first time, but upon repeat viewings it's pretty fun! #MissionWatchParty
Here we go, this is where the movie starts to get the mask crazies! #MissionWatchParty
Kevin Yagher did the makeup for this movie. Yagher worked with Woo before on FACE/OFF, and previously did the makeup for a few of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET sequels and designed the Chuckie doll from the original CHILD'S PLAY. #MissionWatchParty
Here are some of Yagher's masks made for the movie, pulled from his Instagram account (@ yagherfx). #MissionWatchParty
This movie is very emotional. #MissionWatchParty
Mousetrap complete! Don't worry, Brendan Gleeson. It was all just a bad dream. #MissionWatchParty
"He'll undoubtedly engage in some aerobatic insanity." Yeah, Ethan tends to do that. #MissionWatchParty
Here we go! #MissionWatchParty
This was filmed on a soundstage in front of a green screen. The stunt was among the film’s most dangerous, as it had Cruise dropping 80 feet toward the camera while attached to a rig that stopped him inches above the camera. #MissionWatchParty
Woo said he was afraid of this scene because he thought Cruise would smash his face into the lens. #MissionWatchParty
And of course there's the reference to this... #MissionWatchParty
The lighting in this scene is really gorgeous. #MissionWatchParty
Is Ethan getting ready for another HALO jump? #MissionWatchParty
This shot. #MissionWatchParty
A John Woo shootout without any blood? Please #ReleaseTheWooCut and let us watch the 3 and a half hour R-rated version. (Yes, it's real.) #MissionWatchParty
LUTHER NOOOOOOOOOO! #MissionWatchParty
Looks like they didn't shoot any reactions to Luther blowing up so they had to construct it in the edit and add some ADR from Billy Baird. Yikes. #MissionWatchParty
Stuart Baird (editor of THE OMEN, SUPERMAN, CASINO ROYALE, SKYFALL) is not credited as editor but was brought in by Cruise to fix M:I-2. He cut at least 40 mins out of the movie and massaged it down to a PG-13 from the initial R it received from the MPAA. #MissionWatchParty
Composer Hans Zimmer credits Baird with restoring the "emotional center" to the movie, partly by lengthening romantic scenes between Cruise and Newton. That's fine and all, but we think it's time to #ReleaseTheWooCut! #MissionWatchParty
Baird said in a statement: "I collaborated with the existing editing team and together we worked to fulfill John Woo's amazing vision. Anyone who sees M:I-2 will see his distinctive filmmaking style stamped all over it." #ReleaseTheWooCut #MissionWatchParty
Luther's alive!!!!! Phew! #MissionWatchParty
Love that rainbow lighting on Ethan’s face! #MissionWatchParty
Don't do it, Nyah! #MissionWatchParty
Hans Zimmer's beautiful score features vocals performed by Lisa Gerrard (their more famous collaboration from the same year would be GLADIATOR). Trust us, you're going to want the new vinyl release from @MondoNews. It sounds incredible. #MissionWatchParty
Shades of Michael Mann's LAST OF THE MOHICANS here. But who has better hair? Tom Cruise or Daniel Day-Lewis? #MissionWatchParty
Nowadays Cruise would've jumped off this building for real. #MissionWatchParty
Cruise says Woo actually studied the way he walks and moves and designed the action so that it's tailored to his movements. And Woo says Cruise told him he wanted to be like Bruce Lee in the movie. #MissionWatchParty
Another silent neck snap. #ReleaseTheWooCut #MissionWatchParty
Remember "Mission: Improbable" at the MTV Movie Awards, featuring Ben Stiller as Tom Crooze? If you've never seen it, do yourself a favor: #MissionWatchParty
Be sure to check out our epic 3-part interview with the REAL Tom Crooze, Keith Campbell, who was Cruise's stunt double for the first and second Missions! #MissionWatchParty Here's part 1 of the interview: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/light-the-fuse-a-mission-impossible-podcast/id1404667823?i=1000453957804
Let's just call it "Kickin' Impossible." #MissionWatchParty
GLOWING DOVE ALERT!!! #MissionWatchParty
John Woo's Mission: Impossible. This clearly should've been the poster. #MissionWatchParty
Oh no, Ethan's dead! Wait for it... #MissionWatchParty
Poor Ambrose. #MissionWatchParty
We love that Ethan had to put his sunglasses on before doing this move. #MissionWatchParty
Thanks, Luther! #MissionWatchParty
Okay, this is pretty badass. #MissionWatchParty
"That punk put a hole in my Versace." Uh oh, Luther is not happy. #MissionWatchParty
John Woo! #MissionWatchParty
"She's only got a little time left." Like five minutes? Or an hour? We might actually feel some suspense here if we only knew. #MissionWatchParty
Goodbye, Tom Cruise's cousin. #MissionWatchParty
When Cruise appears to be skiing on the road, he’s actually doing it. During that portion of the scene, his motorcycle was being towed behind a truck, and he was strapped into a harness as he skied on the soles of his shoes at 50 mph. #MissionWatchParty
