Why did Peter Graves leave Mission Impossible?

Actor Peter Graves refused to reprise the role of Jim Phelps in the 1st Mission: Impossible movie as he was not happy with his role being shown as a traitor in the movie.

The first movie under the Mission: Impossible franchise was released back in 1996, helmed by famous director Brian De Palma. The movie is a high-stakes spy thriller saga which has been based on the television series of the same name. The movie revolves around Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) who is an extremely skilled agent of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). As the story progresses, Ethan is tasked to stop a group of terrorists capable of causing major threats in the world.

Mission: Impossible’s first theatrical release was in the year 1996 and has since then released a total of 7 movies as of 2024. The movie franchise has brought in various actors and characters throughout the sequels and has earned huge figures at the Hollywood box office. The film was created under the banner of Cruise/Wagner Productions and was distributed by Paramount Pictures across the world.

Why did Peter Graves leave Mission: Impossible?

Legendary television and movie actor, the late Peter Graves had rejected his role as Jim Phelps back in 1996 when the Mission: Impossible franchise was about to have its first movie feature. At the time it was revealed that the reason for Peter rejecting the role was because he did not like how the character of Jim was portrayed in the movie. The idea of Jim being a traitor in the series, killing two of his own men and later dying in a fire was something that Peter was against and did not get on board with. This made him reject the offer to reprise Jim Phelps in the movie. After Peter, the role was offered and later accepted by Jon Voight who was seen as the antagonist in the 1st movie.

Was Peter Graves ever a part of Mission: Impossible?

Yes, Peter Graves was one of the few main cast members of the original Mission: Impossible television series, on which the movies are based on. Peter was selected for the role of Jim Phelps and it was through Mission: Impossible that Peter Graves became famous around the late 80s and early 90s. In 1967, Graves was selected by Desilu Studios to take over as the lead character Jim Phelps after Steven Hill, who was portrayed as the gruff director of the Impossible Missions Force.

During this time, Peter Graves appeared in this role for a total of 6 seasons taking over the same role in the series. Later in 1988, when the series was getting a remake, Peter had accepted to play the role of Jim Phelps. It was known that Peter was the only one from the original cast who agreed to appear in a recurring role in this remake, while the other original cast members appeared in guest roles in the movie.