Despite a heavy marketing campaign and the expected draw of its two leads, Knight and Day’s haul at the box office was disappointing, and while this had implications for the creative team behind the film it may have further consequences.

Deadline are again reporting that Paramount may be rethinking the plot of Mission: Impossible IV, this time due to the mediocre box office Cruise’s recent blockbuster ‘Knight and Day’ provided.

I hear the script that came in is very good, but the studio is still trying to figure out the budget as well as Cruise’s role in light of the lackluster Knight And Day grosses. There’s talk that Tom’s character will mentor a young operative this time out if the pic proceeds.

This isn’t hugely surprising as there were rumours the plot revolved around something along these lines, but two factors may influence the way the wind blows. Cruise is arguably getting to the age where his validity as an action star is dissipating and he’s certainly no longer the box office draw he used to be.

Most likely Paramount will be looking to replace him with a younger star to keep the franchise alive, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The first two M:I films never really understood the ‘IMF team working together’ idea from the TV show, Cruise’s fame meant it was a one man show, turning it into the American James Bond. A younger and less famous central lead might mean there’s enough cash to spread around for the rest of the team.

I hope any issues get sorted out soon as I’m eager to see what director Brad Bird can do with live action, to date he’s created what I believe to be two of the greatest American animated films (‘The Iron Giant’ and ‘The Incredibles’), hopefully he can transfer that talent from pixels to people.

Reported by Matt Ruddle