Hayley Atwell 'thrilled' to be starring in next two Mission: Impossible movies

Hayley Atwell is "thrilled" to be joining Tom Cruise in the next two Mission: Impossible movies.

Last week, the Captain America: The First Avenger star confirmed she was joining the action franchise but didn't specify if she would appear in just the seventh instalment or both the seventh and eighth, which are being directed back-to-back by Christopher McQuarrie.

The actress took to Instagram over the weekend to confirm she will be starring as the female lead in the next two Mission: Impossible movies.

"I'm thrilled to have joined @tomcruise and @christophermcquarrie for the next TWO Mission Impossible movies. To have gone from a classical play in the west-end to an audio book recording of a great new novel to a Disney/Marvel animation and now the female lead in a huge action franchise is the kind of variety that fuels my curiosity and keeps me learning and striving to be better and do better," the 37-year-old shared, before adding that she will be documenting her progress on the photo-sharing site as she gets fit for the part.

"I can't wait to start sharing this adventure with you. Mostly in the form of effusive, sweaty ranting about stunt training while spontaneously vomiting with excitement/exhaustion. Lucky you."

According to IMDb, Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson is set to reprise her role of Ilsa Faust in the seventh movie, but it is not yet known if other regulars, such as Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Alec Baldwin will return.

McQuarrie will direct both films from his own screenplays and will produce along Cruise and J. J. Abrams, among others. The first instalment is set for release in July 2021, while the follow-up will arrive in August 2022.