Summary

  • Nyah had a huge role in Mission: Impossible II, sacrificing herself but ultimately saved by Ethan Hunt.
  • Thandiwe Newton did not return for Mission: Impossible III due to personal reasons and challenging experiences on set.
  • There is potential for Nyah to return in a future Mission: Impossible film, as the franchise has brought back characters before.

After Thandiwe Newton's character played such a key role in Mission: Impossible II many fans wondered what happened to Nyah in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Tom Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the first Mission: Impossible sequel with plenty of new characters introduced. However, it was Nyah Nordoff-Hall who received the biggest role of them all. While other characters from the movies have come back in future films, Mission: Impossible has yet to continue Nyah's story past Mission: Impossible II.

Nyah's involvement in the second movie saw her work alongside Ethan to take down her former boyfriend, Mission: Impossible II's villainous Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), while also developing a romance with Ethan. She ultimately decides to sacrifice herself by injecting the last of the Chimera virus into her bloodstream. However, Mission: Impossible II ends with Ethan managing to save Nyah's life. The Impossible Missions Force then clears Nyah's criminal record, and the movie ends with her on vacation with Ethan.

Ethan Hunt and his team on a boat in Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One
Related
Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Cast & Character Guide

Both old and new faces have ed the Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning cast with Tom Cruise. But what characters are they playing?

Watch on Paramount+

Thandiwe Newton Turned Down Returning To Mission: Impossible III

Newton's Experiences With Tom Cruise May Have Influenced Her Choice To Not Return

Nyah's lack of development after Mission: Impossible II isn't entirely the franchise's fault, as Thandiwe Newton turned a chance to return in Mission: Impossible III. At the time, Newton cited wanting to spend more time with her family as the reason why she wouldn't come back. However, there appears to be another factor in her lack of interest in playing Nyah again.

During an interview in 2020, Newton itted that working with Tom Cruise on Mission: Impossible II was very challenging. She mentioned frustrations filming scenes and their different working styles as reasons why it wasn't always an enjoyable experience. Any return to Mission: Impossible would likely require interacting with Cruise, so Newton just might not be interested in going through some of that again.

Could Nyah Return In A Future Mission: Impossible?

The Mission: Impossible Movies Have Recently Brought Back Actors From Previous Movies

Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton close together in Mission Impossible 2

Since Thandiwe Newton has already turned down one chance to return, it is unclear if she'll ever return to play Nyah again. Christopher McQuarrie could possibly have a role for her in mind for the Mission: Impossible 8. Although the franchise doesn't do it often, Mission: Impossible has had characters return after apparent one-off roles. This includes the character of Kittridge returning in Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning after being absent since the first movie.

Michelle Monaghan's Julia Meade also came back after a fake death storyline. Interestingly, like Newton's Nyah, Julia was a romantic interest for Ethan Hunt and she was actually who he was shown with after his time with Nyah. Thandiwe Newton is a much bigger actress now, though, so hopefully, any future Mission: Impossible return gives Nyah an important role.