Brad Bird a Contender for 'Mission: Impossible IV'

I am a huge admirer of Brad Bird. He directed two of my all-time favorite animated films, The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, plus Ratatouille, for good measure. Once, I informally and clumsily pitched him the idea of making a Pixar version of Animal Farm. He countered by saying Watership Down might be the way to go. Bird would now like to make some live-action magic, and he's overdue for that opportunity. Unfortunately, his 1906 - a film about the San Francisco earthquake of that year - has had some budgetary issues and isn't moving forward at the moment. Whether or not it's related to that, Bird has now emerged as a possible candidate to direct Mission: Impossible 4. I liked M:I 3 more than the other two movies in the series, and I think with J.J. Abrams producing (with definite input into the writing process), a fourth movie could work. So that's not the issue. For me, it's all about Bird making a project his way. Going into a situation like this, he's almost a director-for-hire. When he entered the picture for Ratatouille, Bird reshaped the film quite a bit. Here, he wouldn't write, he wouldn't have the final authority. Maybe that's best for his first live-action feature, but maybe it will inhibit him. If you've got to make someone else's movie, working for Bad Robot probably beats just about every other outfit in town. It's a close-knit community of writers and producers, similar to the way Pixar works, and it's very collaborative. Bird is not the only name mentioned, though to me, he's the most intriguing. Edgar Wright might be able to make a good Mission: Impossible flick, but I'm not sure about that. Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) is also a contender, according to Heat Vision Blog. Of those three, I'd certainly think Bird has the inside track, and he may feel more flexible if it helps speed up the process on 1906. If M:I 4 is a hit, it would do just that. The real answer is probably too close for Bad Robot to see: Just let J.J. direct it again. Have Paramount kick in an extra payout for doing double duty and make this the movie it really ought to be.

Comments

[knives]

I wouldn't be surprised if Bird thought of this as his way of proving his live action abilities for the 1906 movie.