Why Ving Rhames Was Barely In Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

In the first act of Brian De Palma's "Mission: Impossible," Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) watches most of his IMF team die before his very eyes. The core memory would inform his personal drive to save any future field partners at all costs through the entire series — even if they turn out to be villains in the end. Ethan may be the living manifestation of destiny, but he's almost ineffective without a team by his side. Lucky for the daredevil IMF agent, he acquired one of his most valuable assets (and friends) in the first film with computer hacker extraordinaire Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames).

It's difficult to imagine what these movies would look like had Ethan not recruited the formerly avowed IMF agent for a job that ultimately brought Phineas Freak back into the fold. The "Mission: Impossible" movies have made it a sticking point ever since that Luther is Ethan's closest confidant. Hearing the talented computer specialist talk about his best buddy to other people demonstrates a bond that could never be broken. The plot of "Fallout" transpires because Ethan can't bring himself to lose Luther in favor of nabbing the plutonium.

Rhames' participation in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise is notable on account of being the only actor, barring Cruise, to appear in all eight films. Luther technically gets the last word with a proper send-off in "The Final Reckoning." He also managed to sneak in a hail mary appearance in "Ghost Protocol," the only entry to relegate his appearance to a small cameo in the last scene before the credits. As it turns out, Rhames' brief screen time came about due to money issues.

Everything was up in the air when the Brad Bird-directed "Ghost Protocol" was going into production on account of Cruise's previous rocky history in the industry a few years earlier. But the film was able to make Cruise a star again. It was assumed that Rhames would return, given he was a critical member of Ethan's teams in the previous three films.

In 2010, however, when Rhames was asked by MovieWeb whether he would return to play Luther, his response indicated that if he did, it would be a reduced role. "I may be doing something very small in 'Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol' but I will just say that the budget changed dramatically and I'll leave it at that," says Rhames. When he was asked to expand upon that, his follow-up statement gave the impression that it all came down to money. "Hmm... Cha-ching could create that but it's up to them," recounts Rhames.

Rumors circulated throughout various trades that Rhames wanted $7.7 million to appear in "Ghost Protocol," but I have to call it into question considering no official source has taken credit for the quote. It definitely appeared though that Rhames was interested in a good paycheck for his time on set. He must have received a number that suited him because he makes a welcome appearance in the epilogue of "Ghost Protocol."

Would it have been great to have Luther on the team throughout the whole film? The answer is yes, even though his absence makes sense within the machinations of the story. After the Kremlin bombing, every IMF agent is disavowed, ensuring the only crew Ethan has to work with are either people who were already with him, like Benji (Simon Pegg) and Brandt (Jeremy Renner), or those who were already associated with the case, such as Jane (Paula Patton).

Rhames must have sorted out any future monetary indignities with future installments, as he would ultimately be brought back into the "Mission: Impossible" fold when "Rogue Nation" director Christopher McQuarrie announced Luther's full-time return in August 2014.

"Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" is currently streaming on Prime Video, Pluto TV and Kanopy.