After working together on last year’s blockbuster hit Jack Reacher, Christopher McQuarrie, Tom Cruise, and Paramount are gearing up for a reunion, with Christopher McQuarrie now officially confirmed to take the helm for Mission: Impossible 5.
McQuarrie took to Twitter last night with a short and sweet statement: “Mission: Accepted.” And then Paramount confirmed what we all suspected with the full press release.
For quite some time, McQuarrie had been the reported frontrunner to take the job. He recently returned behind the camera for the first time in over a decade to helm Cruise in Jack Reacher, and it wasn’t long before talk soon turned to the possibility of him taking the helm for Mission: Impossible 5, following Brad Bird’s fourth instalment, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3) was hired to write the script for the studio earlier in the year. And after Cruise exited Guy Pearce’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to focus on Mission: Impossible 5, an announcement like this was naturally expected to come fairly soon.
Cruise will star in the movie as well as produce it, through his Tom Cruise Productions, alongside Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot.
McQuarrie is of course the man behind the classic The Usual Suspects, and went on to make his feature directorial debut back in 2000 with The Way of the Gun. Since then, he’s penned Valkyrie, Jack the Giant Slayer, and has a writing credit on Doug Liman’s upcoming Tom Cruise-starrer, Edge of Tomorrow.
Though it’s still early days yet, and the press release below makes no mention of aimed release dates, it wouldn’t be amiss to imagine that Paramount might be eyeing a late December release slot, given the success they’ve had in the past two years with Jack Reacher and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. If things progress smoothly in the coming months, a December 2014 release date would certainly make for an interesting close to the year, before heading into one of the most blockbuster-filled years of all time in 2015.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND SKYDANCE PRODUCTIONS TAP CHRISTOPHER McQUARRIE TO DIRECT THE NEXT MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
HOLLYWOOD, CA (August 5, 2013) – Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions announced today that Christopher McQuarrie will direct the next “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” film.
McQuarrie will direct from a screenplay by Drew Pearce, with Tom Cruise reprising the iconic role of Ethan Hunt, who was first introduced to moviegoers in 1996. The project will be produced by Cruise through Tom Cruise Productions, Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, who served as producers on previous films in the hit series. Skydance Productions, who served as co-financers and executive producers of the last installment, will work closely with the team in the development and production process.
“I am thrilled to reunite with Chris for the latest installment in the Mission series,” said Cruise. “I began producing the films with the goal that a different director with his own vision would make each one. Chris is an extraordinary filmmaker who will deliver the heart-pounding action and thrills that audiences around the world have come to expect from the Mission: Impossible franchise.”
Added Adam Goodman, President of Paramount Film Group: “The Mission series is special for its signature directors; Chris McQuarrie keeps this tradition thriving.”
McQuarrie recently wrote and directed “JACK REACHER” for Paramount and Skydance, with Cruise in the title role, based on the novels by New York Times bestselling author Lee Child. His screenwriting credits include the upcoming “EDGE OF TOMORROW” and 2008’s “VALKYRIE,” both starring Cruise, as well as “THE USUAL SUSPECTS,” for which he earned an Academy Award® for best screenplay in 1995.
“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL,” the 4th installment in the globally successful franchise, earned nearly $700M around the world and became Cruise’s highest grossing film to date in his storied career.
The “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise has earned more than $2B at the worldwide box office, making it one of the most successful franchises in movie history.
