"We absolutely are excited about having Tom Cruise star in this movie," is how Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore put it Tuesday.

But the studio also is monitoring the overseas performance of Cruise's latest film, "Knight and Day," to see whether the star retains his longtime hold over foreign audiences. If that film should gross less than $200 million overseas, some industry observers think Paramount will consider recasting the Ethan Hunt role. At this point, it's too early to say how the film will do, though Fox executives are predicting a solid performance.

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Tom Cruise Signs on for Mission Impossible 4



Tom Cruise has signed on for a fourth Mission Impossible film. J.J. Abrams and Tom Cruise will produce.

Cruise and J.J. Abrams -- who co-wrote the "Mission: Impossible III" screenplay -- will produce from a screenplay by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, a writing duo hired last summer to pen the script from an idea hatched by Cruise and Abrams. Appelbaum and Nemec spent four seasons with Abrams as co-exec producers of "Alias."

The announcement also means that Paramount's managed to repair its relationship with Cruise after ditching the star four years ago.

All three of the Mission Impossible films so far have been very entertaining. J.J. Abrams did a great job with Mission Impossible 3. The film has been slated for Memorial Day weekend in 2011. It will have tough competition. Unless things change, Cruise's fourth film as Ethan Hunt will be up against a Hangover sequel and a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film.

Posted on February 9, 2010
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