Free from Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham joins M:I8

No mission is impossible if you just believe, an ethos that might well be shared by both Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise). And now the pair have something else in common, which is that they are both co-stars with Hannah Waddingham. Waddingham plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton on Ted, and will play an as-yet unrevealed character in Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part Two.

Not much else can be said about this casting news, because that’s about all we know. Director Christopher McQuarrie revealed just that much on Instagram on Friday, sharing a picture of Waddingham in a baseball cap with the caption “And Hannah Waddingham… #Godspeed #DeadReckoning.” In the post prior, he had expressed gratitude to the United States Navy, among others, for allowing the production to spend time on the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier; that appears to be the setting behind Waddingham in the photo. Other than that, her involvement in the movie remains a mystery.

Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One hits theaters in July 2023, and will feature a slew of returning cast members including Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge, who was last seen in the first installment of the series back in 1996. Among the new stars joining the cast are Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales, Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell, Indira Varma, Mark Gatiss, Greg Tarzan Davis, and Cary Elwes. Part Two, featuring Waddingham, is set to premiere in June 2024, and will mark the conclusion of the blockbuster series.

Waddingham is charting a course for her post-Ted Lasso career. The comedy series that won her an Emmy premieres on March 17 and will wrap up later this year. In the meantime, she’s got M:I8, The Fall Guy (starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt), and Garfield (starring Chris Pratt) in her back pocket. The accomplished stage actress will also co-host the Eurovision Song Contest in May.