Paramount Announces Fourth ‘Mission: Impossible’
Paramount Pictures has gone out of their way to announce Mission: Impossible 4 — what feels like a rushed project, coming out in just over a year.
The film is being described as a reboot, without J.J. Abrams behind the camera and will most likely introduce agents to take over the franchise. It also arrives during a packed May 2011 which already has scheduled Thor (5/6), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (5/20), and The Hangover 2 (5/26).
HOLLYWOOD, CA (February 9, 2010) – Paramount Pictures announced today that it is making “Mission Impossible IV.” The film, which will be produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions and will star Cruise, will be released Memorial Day weekend 2011.
“Tom and J.J. are great talents and we are excited to be working with them to re-launch this legendary franchise,” said Paramount Pictures Chairman & CEO Brad Grey.
Screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec are attached to write the script, from an original idea by Cruise and Abrams.
The studio, Cruise and Abrams are in now the process of identifying a director for the film.
Abrams’s last project with Paramount was “Star Trek,” which he produced and directed. The film grossed $385 million globally. Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” franchise has grossed over 1.4 billion globally.
“Mission Impossible IV” will be co-financed by David Ellison’s Skydance Productions.
It's a reboot, but it still stars Cruise? That sounds odd.What I liked about the TV series was that it was about a team. The movies have been decent action movies, but they miss that element. There are other people on the team, sure, but who has the best gadgets? Cruise. Who is the guy wearing the rubber mask? Cruise. He's the leader, the fighter, the con man, and the everything else.Honestly, the TNT show Leverage does a really good job of getting that dynamic across. They have different people who all feel important and all have their specialties. I'd like to see a Mission Impossible movie that introduces new people and really uses them.
I agree with Jason regarding this 'reboot'. With Cruise still starring in the role I don't see what would be different except the other cast members. I'm willing to give Abrams a chance to prove the nay-sayers wrong (as he did with STAR TREK), but I don't hold out much hope.