Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol trailer

Let the trailer fest continue. This is better late then never. The spy games continue, with or without Tom Cruise in the next installment of the Mission:Impossible franchise.  The film stars Cruise and newcomer to the team, Jeremy Renner, who will take over the lead in the franchise.  It is being directed by Brad Bird and looks pretty darn good.  Check it out:

"Mission: Impossible" without Tom Cruise and a "Bourne" Film without Matt Damon?

Ok so we know Mission: Impossible 4 is filming right now. We also know it co-stars Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner. But what we didn't know was that the studio wants to continue the franchise without Cruise. Crazy thought considering Cruise has been the face of the franchise for the better part of 15 years. So Jeremy Renner is going to carry the franchise?

I don't know. I'm scared to say "he can't do it", then he turns out to be the next Matt Damon/bad ass (more on him later). I also don't want to say "that's a great idea" because Renner is yet to carry a film on his own. His biggest part obviously came in The Hurt Locker, but he wasn't the main attraction there. Here's what Renner had to say about the rumor that he's taking over the franchise:

It’s a franchise to potentially take over… I can’t predict the future and what they want, but that’s certainly the idea.

Sounds like he's pretty confident what's set to occur. I'll hold judgment until after I see Renner in M:I 4. Now, the other franchise losing it's main actor... 'The Bourne' franchise. I hate to admit it, but I just wrapped up the trilogy the other day after watching The Bourne Ultimatum. Wow, it's freakin' awesome. It is so good, so well directed, so well acted, I was blown away. It was a fitting end to Damon's take on the man rediscovering his past. But the film makers kept it open fore more chapters in the saga.

Now it's been confirmed that not only is director of parts 2 and 3, Paul Greengrass, leaving the franchise, so too is Matt Damon. And we also know that the studio has started pre-production on a fourth film. It's not a re-boot per say because the are not recasting the Jason Bourne character. They're launching a new franchise with a new lead actor. Why? The hell for?

I mean the studios are so greedy it has come to this? The director and actor don't want to continue so we'll just swap them out for someone else. I understand the studios want to profit off of a hot property, but come-on! At least go a few more years before starting another franchise and let people forget the past incarnation. I hate that both franchises are losing their stars, how about you?

Quickie: Tom Cruise hints at a Les Grossman movie

Tropic Thunder was a great movie, that was well received by both fans and critics alike. Tom Cruise tore it UP as Les Grossman, the studio exec. who was quick to scream and curse at you. I loved the character and Cruise stole the show. Eonline reported just a single quote that has our hopes up: "Yup, we're working on it." We'll see what happens but I for one would see this movie.

Brad Bird To Helm Third "Mission: Impossible" Sequel

Although Paramount studios have not officially announced it yet, Tom Cruise confirmed in an interview with Empire magazine that Brad Bird will be directing Mission: Impossible IV and has already been signed on.
JJ Abrams has unfortunately dropped out but they are still retaining his story idea for the reboot.

Brad Bird is the creative genius at Pixar behind AtD favorites The Incredibles, Ratatouille and The Iron Giant.
For a little more in-depth background on him, check out our third installment of You Know What's a Good Movie?

Tom Cruise will be returning as super spy Ethan Hunt in the $200 million film that's expected to be out December 16th, 2011.

"Wichita" Now "Knight & Day"

This is an update to my previous post about James Mangold's Untitled "Wichita" Project.

As you may recall, director of films 3:10 to Yuma and Walk the Line James Mangold has been working on an untitled film featuring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Paul Dano that was nicknamed "Wichita." The story had to do with a "powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source" which was probably created by Dano's character.

Cruise plays a government agent who's just met Diaz's character as they both must survive conspiracy theory type action scenarios, a la Eagle Eye.

Well, the film is now called Knight & Day and still has nothing to do with knights in shining armor. Also added to the cast are Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Grace.

I'm looking forward to a trailer to see what this will look like. Hopefully it won't just be anotherEagle Eye or Mr. & Mrs. Smith.