I am Christopher McQuarrie. AMA.

Hey Chris, what was the mentality behind casting Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher? Many fans of the books, myself included, were kind of confused since he isn't very close to how the character is described in the novels.

Hi Chris, First of all I wanted to say that I'm a huge fan and you've written one of my favorite movies of all time, The Usual Suspects, and Directed another favorite of mine, The Way of The Gun. I have two questions for you. First I'm Curious which do you prefer Directing or Writing? Second, I'm sure everyone here wants to know how much does insurance cost in order to allow Tom Cruise to hang off the side of a plane as it takes off?

When writing The Usual Suspects, what guidelines did you set up for yourself to make sure that the ending would come as a complete surprise to audiences? It could have ended up very 'tricksy' but it was mind-blowing and was a punch to the kidney.

Hey Chris. Just wanted to say I saw a screening of the film yesterday and it is easily my favorite of the series so thank you! A couple questions: What was the process like of filming that motorcycle and car chase scene (one of the best car chases I've ever seen by the way)? And are you going to be involved with Jack Reacher 2? Thanks again. Looking forward to watching Rogue Nation again!

How'd you come to the decision that you were ready to transition from writing to writing and directing? And how scary was the first day on set as director?

Hi! Was the idea for Tom to do the stunt his idea or was it anyone else's? Also, were you concerned on what he was going to do?

Hi Chris! Love your work. One of the amazing things about the M:I films is that each film has a very distinct directorial voice, from DePalma to Woo to Abrams to Bird. Was there any stylistic element from the previous films films that you wanted to bring to Rogue Nation?

Where did you get inspiration for the usual suspects?Did you work with Kevin Spacey at all,what was he like?

Awesome work dude.

Which movie would be a thousand times better by replacing any actor with Samuel L. Jackson?

Hi Mr. McQuarrie!

What are some films that inspired you to become a writer/director? Also, what made you want to shoot the majority of Rogue Nation on 35mm film instead of using the increasingly popular digital format?

The Way of the Gun has been held very close to me. It was one of the very first R rated moves I saw with my dad (devout christian man with no threshold for violence or bad language).

I am just curious why the realistic style for the gun play? So many movies during that time were incredibly stylized and film was moving in a direction of hyper-sensational action. The Matrix had come out the year before, and was incredibly well received.

I personally love the realistic over the stylized, but I was just curious: Did any of that cross your mind?

You've been on the wrong end of a number of Hollywood "shenanigans" with your writing getting mangled, credit being removed etc. Are you generally able to brush that kind of thing off?

With your success, and transition to directing are you immune to that thing now?

Any advice for young writers on developing a thick skin?

Hi Chris, huge fan! I was wondering why the name change from 'all you need is kill' to 'edge of tomorrow'? Love that film and your work!

I just saw Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation last night for an Advanced Screening and it was incredible! I'll be seeing it again this weekend.

What was the most difficult scene to direct and would you do another MI movie?

Hi Mr. McQuarrie,

Thanks for doing this AMA! I'm a huge fan of yours.

That's many films with Tom Cruise. How do these director-actor duos get formed? Is it because Tom Cruise often produces his own films these days and he'd like to stick with the same director/writer? Or is it simply because you two get along rather well?

Hello

First of all I want to say that I'm a huge fan of mission impossible and it is one of my favorite movies of all time! I have two questions for you. First im curious, what actors website do big budget movies like yours hire statists from? Second, what is some of the best action movies you have seen?

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Hi Chris!

Saw the screening last night and it's definitely got your prints written all over it, which is absolutely awesome! My question is what ended up on the cutting room floor and is there chance for it ending up as extras/ext cut on the dvd/blu ray/uv/whatever the hell the kids are putting out these days releases?

Chris, What do You think about Jake Gyllenhaal acting performances ? Would You like to work with him in the future ?

How was it working for Tom Cruise? Was it a different mentality for each of the movies he did? Did you think that The Usual Suspects would be a cult following years after the movie was made?