Last July, we reported that Robert Zemeckis was circling screenwriter Brian Helgeland‘s Revolutionary War Hero/Sea Monster mash-up Here There Be Monsters.  Helgeland’s script takes real-life Revolutionary War hero John Paul Jones and pits him against sea monsters after he’s hired to investigate the disappearance of a number of merchant ships.  Zemeckis passed on the project, but Vulture reports that the great Brad Bird is considering the project.

While I have no love for Helgeland’s scripts (L.A. Confidential was a long time ago), Bird never neglects story and I imagine he’ll have a strong influence on the screenplay if he signs on.  With Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Bird proved he could direct live-action just as well as animation.  I’m down for anything Bird wants to direct, but I’m curious about what his interest in Monsters says about the status of his passion project, 1906.  Despite his success on Mission: Impossible, 1906 may still be too expensive to make, especially in today’s economic climate where studios are willing to axe potential blockbusters due to high budgets.  But if Bird keeps knocking out hits, then maybe he’ll get to finally direct his historical earthquake film.

Despite being a sounding board for the woes and whines of anyone with a computer and/or phone, Twitter can actually be pretty cool sometimes. Case in point: last night Pixar directors/all-around awesome guys Brad Bird (The Incredibles), Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) and Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) participated in a Twitter conversation about the merits of 70mm exhibition and 65mm shooting. The conversation alone would have been enough to satisfy any cinephile, but a tidbit of exciting news came out of the back-and-forth. Stanton, who’s set to release his live-action debut John Carter this March, tweeted the following:

“The Master is indeed in 65. They nearly lost a camera shooting in the Bay.”

The Master is the working title of Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly anticipated new drama, and it appears he shot the pic in the high-resolution format. Hit the jump for more.

I’m writing to you this afternoon in the late stages of a full-on nostalgia buzz. The reason? Last night, I had the pleasure of taking in a performance of the Beauty and the Beast musical at St. Louis’ beautiful The Fabulous Fox theatre. Thanks to Belle’s “Little Town”, “Something There”, and the Academy Award-winning title track, I’m still giddy and in complete tune with my five-year old self nearly 24 hours after the fact. Now, if I could just get my hands on that old Proton Pack I used to lug around at all times, my return trip to the ’90s would be complete…

…In this week’s “Top 5″ you’ll find a collection of items from The Dark Knight Rises, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo interviews with David Fincher, Rooney Mara, and Daniel Craig, tidbits of news from J.J. Abrams‘ Star Trek sequel, director Brad Bird talking about Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Incredibles sequel and more, and a recap of what has been yet another crazy week in trailers (Hint: there’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Prometheus, and Wrath of the Titans). Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Let’s face it: the holidays are here and most people’s brains are already on vacation. Since it’s just too hard to come up with an original movie idea right now, a lot of talk has turned to potential sequels. Some franchises, like Gremlins and Mission: Impossible already have more than one movie in the books while others, such as Colombiana and Pineapple Express are open to sequels just because they can be. So we’ve ransacked the internets to find some updates on sequels you’ve been dying to see and others you never dreamed of being produced. Hit the jump to check them out.

Currently in IMAX, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens nationwide on December 21^st. The non-stop action flick follows Impossible Missions Force (IMF) operative Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), who is blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin and disavowed, along with the rest of the agency, when the President initiates “Ghost Protocol.” Left with only a team of fellow IMF fugitives – including William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) – whose personal motives are unclear, Hunt must find a way to clear the agency’s name and prevent another attack.

During our exclusive chat, director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) talked about the biggest challenges in transitioning from animation to live-action, what he wanted to bring to the popular franchise to make this installment his own, working with a star who insists on doing all of his own stunts, meticulously planning out the IMAX sequences, re-shoots and test screenings, and how he was all for showing the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises ahead of IMAX showings of the film. He also talked about a possible sequel for The Incredibles and how, if he ever came up with a story that is at least as good as the one he already did, that he’d be happy to return to that world. Watch the video or read the transcript after the jump:

15 years ago, Brian de Palma turned Mission: Impossible, a well-regarded spy TV series into an exciting action-thriller, and Tom Cruise earned a career franchise he could call his own.  Then something went seriously wrong with John Woo‘s Mission: Impossible II, but J.J. Abrams‘ Mission: Impossible III picked the franchise back up with a fun, albeit empty-headed installment.  The only consistent element was Cruise, but sometimes even his charisma couldn’t overcome dull action scenes or shoddy storytelling.  Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) doesn’t do dull action scenes or shoddy storytelling.  He never has, and he’s at the top of his game with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.  Bird has always put story first, but he never forgets to give the audience the brash, bold excitement only a big screen can bring.  Bolstered by a quick, sharp script, and a terrific ensemble, Bird delivers bone-crunching action, fleet-footed pacing, and the best Mission: Impossible yet.

In Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, actor Jeremy Renner plays Agent William Brandt, an analyst who is more desk jockey than field agent. When Impossible Missions Force (IMF) operative Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, he is disavowed, along with the rest of the agency, when the President initiates “Ghost Protocol.” Left with only a team of fellow IMF fugitives – including Brandt, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) – whose personal motives are unclear, Hunt must find a way to clear the agency’s name and prevent another attack.

At the film’s press day, Jeremy Renner talked about playing a character whose motives may be questionable, how great it is to be a part of such a successful franchise, getting in shape for the physical demands of the role, and how Tom Cruise has helped him prepare for any future action work he’ll have to do. He also talked about currently filming The Bourne Legacy, his work in The Avengers, what attracted him to the James Gray film Low Life, and the process of developing a Steve McQueen biopic. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

A batch of new images and a new clip from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has been released. The film is the fourth entry in the ever-changing Mission: Impossible franchise and finds Tom Cruise and his team going undercover in order to clear they’re name. I’m excited about this movie for a few reasons: director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) is making his live-action debut, Simon Pegg is swell, and judging from the trailers the pic looks to be an engaging and fun action flick. The supporting cast is pretty impressive as well, with Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Tom Wilkinson, Josh Holloway, and Michael Nyqvist rounding out the cast.

Hit the jump to check out the clip and images. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens in IMAX and conventional theaters on December 16th.

Paramount has released 17 new images and 5 set photos from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.  The images show off spy-thriller shenanigans and director Brad Bird directing up a storm of spy-thriller shenanigans.  And as you can see from the image above, Tom Cruise is probably contemplating if it’s unreasonable to demand full bars if you’re in a cloud of debris.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Michael Nyqvist, Lea Seydoux, and Tom Wilkinson. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens in IMAX on December 16th and goes wide on December 21st.  If you see it in 70mm IMAX, you’ll also get see the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises.

A new trailer for Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has been released. The fourth installment in the espionage franchise finds Ethan Hunt and his new team going undercover to clear their organization’s name. If you missed the featurette we posted earlier showcasing Tom Cruise hanging off the tallest building in the world, click here to check it out.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer. The film also stars Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Michael Nyqvist, and Tom Wilkinson. Previews for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol begin in select IMAX and conventional theaters on December 16th, with the film opening wide on December 21st.

Director Brad Bird is poised to make his live-action debut with this fall’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and for those of you lost as to why so many people are excited about that prospect, it has a little something to do with Bird’s oeuvre. The director’s animated filmography includes outstanding works such as The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and of course The Incredibles. The latter has drawn quite a bit of sequel chatter over time, as it’s generally regarded as one of the best films to come out of Pixar (and that’s saying something). We recently got the chance to talk to Bird and he revealed that he’s not at all opposed to making an Incredibles follow-up, and talked about what it would take to make the sequel happen. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Judging by the trailer and a new featurette for Brad Bird‘s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) running around the outside of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is going to be almost as important as having a stylish hoodie.  It certainly looks like Cruise did his own stunts, which raises two questions: 1) What insurance company would cover such a risky stunt? and 2) What if he had died?  It would be a spectacular and silly death.  Yes, he would have fallen off the world’s tallest building, but at the same time, people would wonder, “Why didn’t he just use a professional—and let’s be honest—expendable stuntman?”  I guess the set piece just wouldn’t work if you had any doubt that Tom Cruise was risking his life to make an action movie.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens in IMAX on December 16th and wide on December 21st.

On Monday, we reported that Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol would open in IMAX five days before its theatrical release.  Paramount has now announced that the movie “features approximately 30 minutes of scenes shot with IMAX cameras.”  Usually when a live-action movie hits IMAX, it’s been blown-up but the bigger pictures can result in lower-resolution images.  While it can be a little jarring to see the frame size fluctuate depending on the scene, it can also be tremendously effective for certain set pieces (as anyone who saw The Dark Knight will tell you).  I’m eager to see what director Brad Bird pulled off with IMAX cameras particularly the scene where Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) dangles from the world’s tallest building.

Hit the jump for the full press release.  The film also stars Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Josh Holloway, and Tom Wilkinson.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens in IMAX on December 16th and in conventional theaters on December 21st.

Paramount has released the first trailer for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the fourth entry in the spy franchise. The trailer is pretty much everything you want out of a Mission: Impossible movie, and it looks like it could be the best yet. The action looks great without being cheesy or showy, and the cast assembled here is top-notch. Plus, freaking Brad Bird (Ratatouille) is making his live-action directorial debut.

Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames reprise their series roles, joined by Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor, Léa Seydoux, and Vladimir Mashkov. Mission: Impossible III director J.J. Abrams is on board as producer.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens on December 16.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

[Update: We've updated the article with some official images from the film as well]

Though it will air before Transformers: Dark of the Moon this Wednesday, we have an early look at the trailer for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. It’s a bit difficult to glean plot details from the trailer as it’s in French, but an English cut should be arriving shortly. Language barrier aside, it’s reassuring to see that the fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible series has shaken off the rust of a five year hiatus. The action and effects look like what you would expect from the M:I series and Tom Cruise still appears to be up to the physical demands. Though he may not be around much longer, as many suspect he will pass the M:I torch to co-star Jeremy Renner. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.