Russian Star Vladimir Mashkov Joins Fourth MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

Vladimir Mashkov has signed on to costar in the fourth Mission: Impossible movie.  According to TheWrap, Mashkov will play a Russian agent.  Mashkov has earned a Best Actor Nika Award (the Russian equivalent of the Oscar) for his performance in the 1998 film The Thief (which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at that year’s Oscars).  He’ll next star in the drama The Edge, which Russia is submitting as their selection for Best Foreign Film at this year’s Academy Awards.

Not much is known about the new Mission: Impossible other than it will be a reboot-of-sorts for the franchise as Tom Cruise stars alongside Jeremy Renner rather than leads a team of spies.  Also, the series is being set up so that Renner’s character could be the lead in future movies as oppose to Cruise’s super-spy Ethan Hunt.  The film will also star Paula Patton, and Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are set to return.  The fourth Mission: Impossible, directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles) is set to begin shooting in December and is slated to open on December 16, 2011.