Although Paul Thomas Anderson worked with Tom Cruise on Magnolia, the acclaimed director wishes he had gotten the call to helm a Mission: Impossible entry.

What Tom Cruise movie did Paul Thomas Anderson want to direct?

While speaking with Le Figaro, Anderson was asked why Cruise never recruited him to direct a Mission: Impossible movie. Ultimately, Anderson is bummed that he never received the offer to join the espionage franchise.

“I would have loved to, but I never received his phone call,” Anderson explained. “I was very disappointed. I think he’s done with Mission: Impossible, so it’s not going to happen.”

Anderson and Cruise only worked together on 1999’s Magnolia, Anderson’s ambitious follow-up to 1997’s Boogie Nights. In the ensemble drama, Cruise played Frank T.J. Mackey, a conceited motivational speaker who teaches men how to pick up women. Toward the end of the film, Frank visits his dying father, Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), and weeps uncontrollably by his side.

Magnolia is considered one of Cruise’s best performances, which begs the question of why the actor never worked with Anderson again. Cruise won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and received an Oscar nomination in the same category.

Anderson is best known for his personal dramas and black comedies. Anderson combines those elements with an action thriller for the first time in One Battle After Another. The epic film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an ex-revolutionary who embarks on a journey to save his daughter from a past foe.

Besides DiCaprio, One Battle After Another stars Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti.

Anderson directs from a screenplay he wrote. The film is loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland. Anderson is receiving some of the best reviews of his career, and many pundits expect One Battle After Another to be a major contender at the 2026 Oscars.

One Battle After Another opens in theaters on September 26, 2025.