Abrams, Cruise Confirmed for 'Mission: Impossible 4'

Updating and making official a story from last week, Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams will join forces again for a fourth Mission: Impossible. Putting aside for a moment the fact that none of the three previous missions proved to be impossible, there was real doubt that the series would continue at Paramount after boss Sumner Redstone discarded the star and his decade-plus relationship with the studio. Variety says the film is going forward, but not immediately. Abrams has the final season of Lost (though he's not as actively involved as he once was), the stewardship of Bad Robot, and Paramount's desire to put together a Star Trek sequel will keep him very busy.Cruise, meanwhile, is signing projects left and right, and will be shooting with Cameron Diaz and director James Mangold later this year. After that, it's expected that he will begin work on Robert Ludlum's The Matarese Circle with Denzel Washington for director David Cronenberg. Mission: Impossible IV won't be the same set of circumstances as before, even though Cruise selected Abrams to direct the third film, the best in the series by my reckoning. Abrams will only co-produce the new movie, which could mean it's another opportunity for one of his proteges, or Cruise and Abrams could find another director to take a crack at it. The studio reportedly wants the film for 2011, which does not afford Cruise and Abrams a whole lot of time; you would think hiring writers would be the next step, and if it began filming in eight or nine months, that would keep the movie on pace for an early summer arrival. But where to put it? Paramount has Thor in May, Kung Fu Panda a couple weeks later, and Transformers and Avengers in July. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the studio might jump the gun on summer and release M:I 4 on April 29th. It's better to have it in front of all of those other movies than fighting for attention among them, especially since part three didn't do as well as everyone hoped. That's serious cart before the horse stuff, I know, but in a climate where we know opening dates and see artwork for movies years in the future that don't have stars, writers, or directors, you've got to believe Paramount brass has already had this discussion.

Comments

[Jeremy]

Hooray! I whole-heartedly agree that the 3rd one was the best in the series. I walked out of the theater realizing that I had been a closeted Cruise fan for the last 10+ years. I hadn't missed a movie of his since...well peaking @ IMDB, I don't believe I had missed a single movie of his prior to M:I 3. He's one of those actors that doesn't get much respect from the fellas, and for the life of me I can't figure out why.

[Brandon]

Please make this much more along the lines of the TV show, smart and ingenious. Less love story please and please don't skip any import scenes on how the hell you freaking got a rabbits food out of a facility! THEY LEFT OUT THEM SHOWING THE IMPOSSIBLE DONE!!!

[Orinn]

J.J names is quality brand now, and Crusie name is not synonymous with mud or crazy anymore. Three served better then it got, lets hope 4 work out for them.

P.S. LOST destroys minds, stay away

[Sean]

I LOVE IT

Ive always have had respect and been a fan of Mr. Cruise since his early years and have seen nearly all of his movies...

I even stood by him during his crazy/lunatic/religious fanatic years but I never told anybody that lol.

Abrams is a household name now... I mean he has fans knowing his TV show inside their homes and also with Star Trek they know him outside their home in theaters...

Good stuff, I hope this is really an XPLOSIVE film... cant wait..

[Chris]

Wow. JJ Abrams must be reaaaaly short, if TC is towering over him like that. Just saying.