'Mission Impossible IV'

Just last week we ran a rumor that J.J. Abrams would return to produce "Mission: Impossible 4" with Tom Cruise. It came from a very small blurb in TV Guide - but it looks as if they just beat the Hollywood Reporter to the punch. Now THR is officially reporting that Paramount has put "M:i:IV" on the fast-track for a 2011 release. It's not a surefire prospect - both Cruise and Abrams have so many other projects in the works, that neither will confirm what they're doing next.

What the THR article does say is that there are two different scenarios that Abrams and Cruise will choose from: 1) they "could reconceive it in a way that is closer to the ensemble approach of the TV series", or 2) they "could reconfigure Cruise as Ethan Hunt in a less front-and-center role, as some kind of mentor to the new M:I crew." This is all very early speculation and no writers have been hired.

Is the "Mission Impossible" franchise on its last legs and is it too soon to reboot it with a fresh crew?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing