Tom Cruise has patched up his relationship with Paramount Pictures, which ended in 2006 over his public behavior and views, as it was announced on February 9 that the actor has agreed to reprise his role as spy Ethan Hunt. The studio plans on going ahead with making a fourth installment in the successful ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise.
It was initially reported by screencave.com last year that Cruise would only serve as a producer along with ‘Mission: Impossible 3’ director JJ Abrams on the third sequel of the series, based on the CBS television show from the late 1960s and early ’70s, but he wouldn’t be starring in the fourth movie. Even though Cruise has changed his mind, Abrams, who is famous for also directing last year’s hit ‘Star Trek’ and the television shows ‘Alias’ and ‘Lost,’ will still only be serving as a producer as he looks for someone else to direct ‘Mission: Impossible 4.’
Even though Cruise hasn’t starred in a hit movie, or worked with Paramount, in several years, the two are putting their differences aside to release the film during Memorial Day weekend in 2011. Even though the franchise has grossed $1.4 billion worldwide, the fourth installment will face stiff competition, as ‘The Hangover 2’ also opens that weekend. ‘Mission: Impossible 4’ will also go against another fourth installment, as ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ opens on May 20th, a week before Memorial Day.
Bad Robot Productions will also be producing ‘Mission: Impossible 4,’ and it will also be co-financed by David Ellison’s Skydance Productions Screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec are in the process of writing the script, based on an original idea by Cruise and Abrams.
Written by: Karen Benardello