When they were planning to replace TC with Renner as the new lead...

They are pushing a woman now as TC replacement. Males are just too toxic, especially white non Jewish males. People don’t want to watch a movie with a white lead!

I have vague memories so might be not quite right I guess you could check on wiki . At the time in the mid 00s (after WOTW/MI3 had both underperformed slightly and cruise was in trouble for his beliefs/couch jumping) there was a really old guy in charge of Paramount think his name was Summer Redstone or something and he decided Cruise was becoming toxic or his wife didn't like him or whatever (in addition to the MI3 box office 400m compared to MI2 550m) so decided to fire him from Paramount and there were talks about others replacing him in the MI franchise (Brad Pitt was mentioned) as Cruise made movies for other studios (Lions for Lambs, Knight & Day), then the old guy retired and Cruise came back to Paramount to do MI4 but Renner was there maybe a hold over from when Cruise wasn't part of it? (when Renner was becoming like the next big thing due to Avengers/Bourne) also the team was more prominent than before .. anyway it seems the shock of what happened with being let go, other names being mentioned to take over etc (as well as being ridiculed for his love life/beliefs) spurred Cruise on to really revitalise the franchise and make MI4 the biggest yet with the insane crazy tower stunt etc. and it worked as MI4 nearly doubled MI3s box office

He’s definitely irreplaceable and the franchise should end when him and McQ decide they’ve had enough. Whether that’s with Dead Reckoning Part Two or another film afterwards I don’t know but I don’t want this franchise carrying on without either of them.

It was like when they made the Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner, I think the studio were hoping to carry on the franchise without Paul Greengrass directing and Matt Damon but it didn’t work.

I don't think they have ever seriously considered replacing Cruise. He owns the production company and calls the shots on who and when casting is done.

Was that ever really considered? I like Renner but he got took out by a snow plow.

That was exactly the point of bringing Brandt in on “Ghost Protocol,” to set him up as Ethan’s replacement.

Ironically, the same movie proved why such a replacement could never be feasible.

Neither Brandt nor Renner can fill the shoes of either Hunt or Cruise.

For all his skills, Brandt’s a company man, a suit. He’ll support his friends, but he won’t independently go rogue or lead an IMF team off the reservation. He’ll follow Ethan Hunt, but he lacks the drive and initiative to do what Ethan would do on his own. This is established pretty clearly in both “Ghost Protocol” and “Rogue Nation.”

And for all his talent, Renner’s simply not insane.

He got run over by his snowplow by accident. Cruise hung outside the Burj Khalifa and a C130 on purpose.

You're mistaking MI with the Bourne franchise.

TC is not gonna let anyone replace himself. He pretty much owns the franchise, and he's made it all about him.