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 two new clips for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.  The primary purpose seems to be to highlight the new character played by Jeremy Renner.  In one clip, Renner banters capably with Simon Pegg; in the next, he gets in on the action in a scene aptly titled “Fan Jump.”  In the footage we’ve seen so far, Renner fits in well in the Mission: Impossible world.  That spells good things for this movie, obviously, but is especially good news since it was rumored early on that Renner may assume the lead in future Mission: Impossible films.

Focusing on the present, Tom Cruise is still the headliner of what looks to be one of the more entertaining releases this holiday season. Paula Patton, Josh Holloway, Michael Nyqvist, Lea Seydoux, and Tom Wilkinson join Renner and Pegg in the supporting cast.  Directed by Brad Bird, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens on December 16.  Watch the clips after the break.

What do I know about Brad Bird‘s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol?  I know this: Tom Cruise really likes his hoodie.  That hoodie could be this movie’s MacGuffin.  The entire plot could revolve around getting Ethan Hunt a fasionable piece of outwear.  Yes, the official synopsis says the movie is about the IMF being disbanded and hunted down, but I think that hoodie is key.  It is the most important hoodie in the history of cinema.

Hit the jump to check out the poster.  The film also stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Josh Holloway, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Lea Seydoux, and Anil Kapoor.  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.

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.

The IMAX poster for Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has been released, this time with 100% more dangling Tom Cruise. Bird shot a portion of the film using the uber high-quality IMAX cameras, and the image on display in this poster is one such shot. Cruise even performed this death-defying stunt himself, as he was suspended off of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world located in Dubai (pics or it didn’t happen proof can be found here). Bird’s impeccable animation resume includes The Incredibles and Ratatouille, and MI:4 marks the director’s live-action debut. I liked what I saw in the theatrical trailer, so I’ve got high hopes for this one.

Hit the jump to check out the poster. The film stars Cruise, 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.

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.

Last Thursday Universal Pictures held a dinner with Simon Pegg and director Greg Mottola  to help promote the DVD and Blu-Ray release of Paul, which hits stores on August 9.  Pegg was very tired but remained in high spirits as he chatted about everything from the basics of story structure to his favorite Dr. Who iteration.  We’ll have the full story closer to the disc’s street date, but we have some choice cuts for you today.

Between courses Pegg dropped some interesting crumbs about a sequel to Paul that could be called Pauls, his work on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and how Star Trek 2 is going to affect The World’s End.  Hit the jump for the quotes.

The holidays have run their course for most people, which means the brief break that isn’t often afforded production already in progress is over. Director Brad Bird’s first foray into live action is back on track in Vancouver, Canada, where Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and some cast and crew were photographed on set of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. What is clear is that the weather there isn’t quite as accommodating to Bird compared to working inside a studio–he looks pretty cold. Luckily for him, with a December 16, 2011 release date pegged for the fourth iteration of the franchise, they won’t have to shoot in the winter again. Hit the jump for all of the set photos and a recap of what we know so far.

Pictures have surfaced of Tom Cruise, as Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt, filming a stunt for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol–the fourth picture in the series–that is sure to send his insurance rates as high as the building he’s shown dangling from. The scene in question involves what appears to be a foot chase across the vertical exterior of the tallest scraper on this planet, the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai which stands at a staggering 828 meters. To achieve this feat, Cruise and his pursuer were harnessed to safety lines running out from a top floor window while the action was shot by cameras in a helicopter hovering a little too close for comfort.

Hit the jump for images of the stunt and comments from Cruise.  The Brad Bird (The Incredibles)-helmed film also stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton. It is slated for a December 16^th, 2011 release.

As we previously reported, the fourth Mission: Impossible would not be titled “Mission: Impossible IV“ and as such we had to refer to it with such non-catchy descriptors like “Untitled Mission: Impossible Reboot”.  Now, Tom Cruise has revealed the official title for the movie: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (we have confirmation from Paramount that this is the correct spelling).  Maybe there can be a nice crossover at some point with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon and after their Ghost Mission they can all go out and enjoy a nice Ghost Steak.

The title was revealed during a press conference for the film, which is partially shooting in Dubai.  Also at the press conference were costars Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton, producer Bryan Burk and director Brad Bird (The Incredibles).  Hit the jump for what they had to say about filming in Dubai as well as Cruise’s thoughts on Top Gun 2 and shooting at 828-meter-high Burj Khalifa tower.

The first images of Josh Holloway on the set of director Brad Bird’s Mission Impossible IV have hit the net.  While I would love to point out the cool costume he’s wearing, or talk about him running down a street with an awesome gun, the first images feature Holloway standing around on set.  However, with this being the first thing Holloway has worked on since Lost wrapped, I figured they were worth checking out.

While many have soured on Tom Cruise, I’m really looking forward to MI4.  It’s because of one person: Brad Bird. As the director of The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille, Bird is nothing short of a genius.  I’m extremely excited to see his first live action project.  Also, he’s assembled an all star cast featuring Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Anil Kapoor, Halloway, Ving Rhames, Lea Seydoux and Vladimir Mashkov.  He also landed Michael Giacchino to do the score.  So, yeah, I’m excited for this one.  Hit the jump for the images:

Michael Giacchino is one of the best composers working today.  It’s difficult to imagine Up, Lost, and The Incredibles without his beautiful scores.  A new profile of Giacchino in Variety reveals that his upcoming slate of films includes John Lasseter’s Cars 2 (Randy Newman scored the first film), J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 (the pair have worked together since Abrams hired Giacchino to do Alias back in 2001), the fourth Mission: Impossible (which is being directed by Incredibles helmer Brad Bird), and John Carter of Mars (which is directed by Andrew Stanton whose previous work includes Finding Nemo and WALL-E).  Giacchino is also set to adapt John Williams’ themes for the revamped Star Tours ride at Disneyland.  He’s also doing an original piece for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra next fall.

Variety reports that Giacchino’s due to be finished with Cars 2 in the spring.  This year he’s already done the PBS documentary Earth Days, the Pixar short Day & Night, the holiday special Prep and Landing, Matt Reeves’ Let Me In, and Abrams’ pilot for NBC’s Undercovers, and doing the music for the final season of Lost.  The dude is impressive and now I have another reason to look forward to Cars 2, Super 8, M:I-4, and John Carter of Mars.

French actress Léa Seydoux (Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood) is set to play the lead female villain in the fourth Mission: Impossible.  Seydoux joins a cast that includes returning players Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg plus newcomers Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Vladimir Mashkov, and Josh Holloway.  Michael Nyqvist (the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is set to play the film’s lead male villain.  It’s good to know that the fourth M:I outing will be equal-opportunity in its villainy. [Update: Deadline reports that Slumdog Millionaire's Anil Kapoor will also play a bad guy in the film]

Not much is known about the fourth Mission: Impossible.  We know it probably won’t be titled “Mission: Impossible IV” and it’s a reboot-of-sorts with Cruise’s Ethan Hunt working alongside Jeremy Renner’s character.  Renner’s character is being set up to lead the franchise after this installment.  Filming is currently underway in Europe.  Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), the film is slated to open on December 16, 2011. [Risky Business]

The fourth Mission: Impossible will be a reboot-of-sorts for the series (it reportedly won’t even be called Mission: Impossible IV) but one thing that’s clearly not going anywhere: wacky disguises!  The first set photos from the Brad Bird-directed film have gone online and we can see Tom Cruise’s super-spy Ethan Hunt in Russian military garb wearing a Stalin-stache’.  There’s also a shot of him rocking a Bruce Springsteen t-shirt.  Who is this chameleon?!

Hit the jump to check out the set photos plus a recap of what we know about the film so far.

Josh Holloway (Lost) is in final talks to join Brad Bird’s upcoming untitled Mission: Impossible sequel/quasi-reboot.  This is the first major studio picture for Holloway since Lost‘s finale.  Risky Business reports that Holloway was offered larger opportunities but that they conflicted with his shooting schedule on Lost, which filmed in Hawaii.  While I think Holloway is good enough to be leading a major motion picture, hopefully this supporting role is the beginning of a long and successful career movie for the charismatic actor.

Hit the jump for more on the fourth Mission: Impossible, which is slated to open on December 16, 2011.