A Fifth Mission Impossible movie has been Greenlit

Tom Cruise has recently signed a deal to star in and produce Mission: Impossible 5 for Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions. There’s no official word on who will be writing and/or directing the next installment of the franchise, but Cruise’s Jack Reacher writer/director Christopher McQuarrie is supposedly in line to take the gig. but with Mcquarrie attached to the remake of Ice station zebra, we may possibly see a different director for the sequel. [check out the full article after the jump]

The last Mission: Impossible movie- "Ghost Protocol" finally captured the essence of what a Mission: Impossible movie is supposed to be. That is probably the reason why it was so successful, not only at the box office, but with the praise of most critics as well. It is most certainly not easy to top what Director Brad Bird (whose previous movies were the animated movies The Incredibles and The Iron Giant) achieved.

The Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible movies are a mixed bag; the first one, directed by Brian de Palma, stayed true in essence to the TV series it is based on, but deviated in storyline direction. The second, which was directed by John Woo, was an awful abomination which turned what was supposed to be a spy thriller franchise into a weak and childish James Bond rip-off. The third, directed by JJ Abrahms, gradually went back to its espionage roots while also maintaining the childish camp of the second movie. The fourth succeeded in getting back to being a spy-action-thriller, minimizing the camp by cutting off the cheesiness. It also introduced a new team into this movie series, which we initially thought was going to take over the series franchise, and replace Tom Cruise's character Ethan Hunt.

Tom cruise has been very busy. He’s developing another Jack Reacher film, he’s set to star in Guy Ritchie’s spy adaptation The Man from U.N.C.L.E. opposite Armie Hammer, and he recently attached himself to Warner Bros.’ sci-fi pic Yukikaze.  There’s no timetable for when Paramount wants Mission: Impossible 5 in theaters, but it will likely be sooner rather than later.