Those itching for a fourth installment in the Mission Impossible franchise will be happy to hear that Paramount Pictures has officially signed a deal for Tom Cruise to reprise his role as special agent Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible 4, based on a story idea by Cruise and MI: 3 director J.J. Abrams. This time around, however, Abrams will be producing instead of directing, and while screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec get started on writing the script, the studio – as well as Cruise and Abrams – are now searching for a director.
The plan is for this to be Cruise's next film (he just finished shooting the action-comedy Knight and Day alongside Cameron Diaz), and right now they're eying a summer shoot and a Memorial Day 2011 release. If that release holds strong, the action sequel will go head-to-head with The Hangover 2, and will arrive in theaters one week after Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
No word right now on what kind of story we'll be looking at, but Cruise has always been about exploring the character of Ethan Hunt, which is why he insisted on a more personal story for the third installment. So, look for more of the same with this fourth one – a story that revolves around Ethan Hunt, and perhaps one that hits a little too close to home. Furthermore, it's been said that Cruise would like to team up with wife Katie Holmes on a film. Could this be the one? Would that make it a better sell?
What do you think about another Mission Impossible movie? Were you overly excited to see more, or could you easily live without another mission with Tom Cruise?
