"It was such a thrill to get hired by Brian De Palma to work on Mission: Impossible. Of course, growing up when I did I was a big fan of the television franchise. And I was also a big fan of Brian De Palma films, so it was doubly enticing to come on board for the first film of this new film franchise. It was tremendous fun to create the original music and I also really enjoyed adapting Lalo [Schifrin]'s fantastic theme, which was very much a part of my youth.

I'm so glad that Neal Fischer has put such loving care into putting this massive undertaking together for all the mission impossible fans out there. It's about as thorough as one could possibly imagine. I'm sure it was quite an undertaking—all I can say is mission accomplished.”

— Danny Elfman (Composer, Mission: Impossible, 1996)

"'Mountains are mountains and waters are waters . . . mountains are not mountains and waters are not waters . . . mountains are mountains and waters are waters.' Dōgen. Neal E. Fischer's Mission: Impossible—The Ultimate Fan Guide acts as a Zen master's guide to a previously unfathomably deep appreciation of the Mission: Impossible universe, and the Herculean and conscientious efforts by its creators and champions to pack each extraordinary second of each captivating mission with layer upon layer of riveting information. If you're a fan and have watched any episode or any of the eight great films of the franchise, or any portion, or all of the above, Neal's encyclopedic, charming and, love-inspired book will deepen your appreciation of what you've witnessed to a level only a Zen master can know. Watch any part or the entirety of the Mission: Impossible universe after reading Neal's book, and all will appear almost as it did on first viewing, but your new and deeply embedded knowledge of the history and elements teeming within each frame will transform the experience from mere watching to being integrally enmeshed and mesmerized by all aspects of the M:I Universe.”

—Henry Czerny (Actor, “Eugene Kittridge” in the Mission: Impossible film series)

“A comprehensive reference no fan of Mission: Impossible should be without. The definitive dossier!”

— Joe Kraemer (Composer, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation)

“Condensing 60 years of film franchise history into a single book sounds like an impossible mission to me. Somehow, Neal E. Fischer pulled it off. Like Ethan Hunt himself, Fischer races through decades of TV shows, movies, heroes, villains, gadgets, and stunts without breaking a sweat.”

— Matt Singer (Author, Funny Business: The Old School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever)

“Neal’s wonderful history of Mission: Impossible brought back a flood of happy memories of working with all of our amazing cast and crew on the show. It was such a special time in my life that I will always treasure. Reading this book, you can really see why the series still has so many loyal fans around the world.”

– Lynda Day George (Actress, "Lisa Casey" on the TV series Mission: Impossible)

MAJOR PROMO POINTS

This year is the 60th anniversary of Mission: Impossible's television debut on CBS-TV, and also the 30th anniversary of the first feature film release in 1996 (directed by Brian De Palma, starring/produced by Tom Cruise, setting a record in that year for becoming the first Hollywood film to be released simultaneously in more than 3,000 theaters across the US – and followed by seven other top-grossing motion pictures to date).

Fall 2026 events tentatively planned at both Paley Center for Media in NYC and Paley Center for Media on the West Coast (California), timed to this book's December 2026 publication.

Author's previous media appearances include:

WGN Morning News Chicago
The John Williams Show (WGN Radio)
Great Day Washington Morning Show
FOX Chicago
Chicago Tribune
Remembering with Jeff Sammut (formerly of Canada Now)
Big 550 KTRS
The Oscar Project
Kicking the Seat

Potential author appearances and signings (he's based in and around the Chicago, IL area, but he plans to do some travel around events):

Book Club Bar – NYC
The Drama Book Shop – NYC
Anderson’s Bookshop – Naperville, IL
Barbara’s Bookstore – Chicago
The Pile Bookstore – Berwyn, IL
The North Riverside Public Library
The Brookfield Public Library
The La Grange Park Public Library
SPYSCAPE Museum & Experience – NYC & London
The Music Box Theater – Chicago
The Logan Theater - Chicago
Alamo Drafthouse Theater

Author is a member of Airwave Media and its 150 podcast shows (we will aim to have the author on any/ALL podcast shows focused on Entertainment and Action/Adventure franchises)

Pre-publication galleys will be sent to all trade publications and all serious-minded book reviewers / review columnists/bloggers / Pop Culture topic writers/reporters/social media influencers and podcasts, including:

Entertainment Weekly
Vanity Fair
Film Comment
Cineaste
IndieWire
Variety
The Hollywood Reporter
American Cinematographer
Business Insider
Deadline Hollywood
The AV Club
Pop Culture Penguin
VULTURE
Slash Film
Collider
Screen Rant
IGN
Total Film
Film School Rejects
The Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Sun-Times
Block Club Chicago
Sight & Sound (UK-based)
Empire
SLATE
JOBLO.COM
DEAN RICHARDS
RICHARD ROEPER
The Atlantic
Jake Hamilton
Nerdist
The Verge
The Action Elite
Little White Lies
The AV Club
The Ringer
The Rewatchables
Den of Geek
Unspooled
Kiss the Book