Two Confirmed For Mission Impossible 4

Things are certainly moving for producers Tom and JJ Abrams on the next installment of the Mission Impossible franchise. Via Movieweb and /Film we got the final rounds of casting in place. First we know that Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are coming back on board.

And I already told you about how they nabbed animation director, legend and TWO TIME OSCAR WINNER Brad Bird. Well, I wasn't too sure it was official when I wrote that story but then it got confirmed soon after and I just forgot to shoot out the update 'cuz shit was poppin' off back then. Anyway, now we've got the last two vital roles that round out the new direction the franchise is headed in. Paula Patton (Precious) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker). Both from two Best Pic contenders at the Oscar's earlier this year, with THL taking that cake unfortunately.

But wait! There's more!

MI 4 Update: Brad Bid In The Running For The Captain's Chair?

Brad Bird is a two-timer Oscar winner suckas. Responsible for one of my fav's The Iron Giant. As well as The Incredibles and Ratatouille (the latter two got him best animated feature statues). And now, he's gearing up for his first live actioner with 1906, based on the acclaimed novel of the same name. Although I did hear that Disney/Pixar is nervous about giving him 200 milly to shoot the thing, and now it's at a stand still. 

So maybe this is good new for him. Because it seems he might be in the running for M.I. 4? What son...?

Let's give it up to Heat Vision breaking the news open on this story. A while back I reported about Cruise looking to gear up M.I. 4 minus JJ in the big chair. Finding a director has been a top priority for star Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as secret agent Ethan Hunt and is producing with J.J. Abrams. Paramount set a May 27, 2011, release date for the movie and is eyeing a summer start. A tentpole of this magnitude needs a lot of prep time to iron out things such as massive set pieces and worldwide locations. 


Now I've seen Incredibles, and I thought the whole execution was a fantastic idea, the throw back to the quaint Beever Cleever lifestyle juxtaposed against the classical silver/golden aged super hero cartoons and comics strip story lines? Terrif. Plus, the action was accomplished with a precision that few animated guys can really do that well. Heat Vision had this to say about him.

On the surface, Bird may seem a peculiar choice. The writer-director wrote and directed 1999's "The Iron Giant" and 2004's "The Incredibles" as well as 2007's "Ratatouille" (the latter two earned Oscars for best animated picture), but he has never helmed a live-action feature. On the other hand, nabbing Bird would be inspired. He is praised for his storytelling skills and is known for his strengths in staging thrilling and intricate action set-pieces as well as fusing the action with large dollops of heart and emotion.

Well, they're right about the action element. You can say what you want, but M.I. 3 was one fuckin' hell of a thriller/suspense/actioner, and that was all thanks to JJ. So topping him is the next thing to do, not exactly going bigger maybe, but better, crisper, fresher, more unique.

Well, my hats off to this, choice, you don't win two Oscars without having a few brains to go around to know what you doing. Plus, I'm a big fan of this guys approaches and style. Let's see what happens. 

Munki Out.

Mission Impossible 4 In The Works. JJ Not Directing.

That's right kiddies, Abrams was asked by Cruise sometime last year to come back as a producer as well as Cruise, who has produced all of them. They then both started kicking around some good ideas about how the next one could work. Apparently, it's some crazy shit that no one would think of. And it look like the script is in the works now, as JJ asked Alias scribes Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec to pen the drafts based on "a really cool idea" from Cruise and Abrams themselves. Abrams wrote a treatment himself they're using as a blue print, which he joked, "is probably longer than the script."

Looks like Pararmount is still in the Cruise movies business. Back in '06, they fired him after a 14-year relationship. The eighty-six year old, Sumner Redstone, Viacom's head and parent company to Paramount, cited the reason as to economic damage to Cruise's value as an actor and producer from his controversial public behavior and views.Remember that South Park episode about Scientology and Cruise getting all hot and bothered? See Here. Well, guess they changed their minds after it all blew over a few years later and they saw he can still fill seats in a theater.

The best part about this franchise is that Cruise has the power to keep bringing in new directors to keep it fresh and new and exciting. That always will be a smart move, unless the previous helmer is really that much in love with it. Then why not keep him if he did a good enough job the first time? Let him pour some heart and soul into your stuff. Guess that's why JJ is still on as a powerful voice in how things get done with #4.

Looks like this thing is starting to shape up. I'll keep you posted on things concerning it.
Munki Out.