Something I found while flicking through Production Weekly (a Hollywood newsletter that charts in-production TV and films) is that the working title for Mission: Impossible 8 is ‘Scorpio’ – the name of the first movie to shoot at the CIA’s Langley headquarters. Scorpio is a fascinating case study because it portrays the Agency as evil, dark, violent and perhaps even cruel. So why did they grant them access to their HQ? What was in it for them?
I delved into CIA documents on Scorpio, as well as interviews with the director Michael Winner and his autobiography, in order to try to find the answer.