UPDATE: Paramount has confirmed to MTV that this news is indeed true. No surprises there, given the original source. Kudos to Deadline Hollywood for snagging the scoop!

Speculating fans of the "Mission: Impossible" series need speculate no more. We've been hearing for awhile about "Mission: Impossible IV." "M:I3" director J.J. Abrams told us in October that he probably wouldn't be back to direct, but he'd stay involved as a producer. He then told us in January that star Tom Cruise was "part of the plan" for the next one. Today's news supports both of those assertions.

It turns out that Cruise will, in fact, reprise his Ethan Hunt role to star in "Mission: Impossible IV," as reported by Deadline Hollywood. He will also produce the film, along with Abrams, and the two are currently searching for their director. The script, as had previously been reported, will be penned by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. Read more...

Last summer, news started to percolate about the IMF returning to the big screen in "Mission: Impossible IV." In the months that followed, more news trickled out. The biggest break was word that "M:I III" writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman would be replaced by "Alias" writer/producers Andre Nemec and Josh Applebaum. A big question still remained however: would star Tom Cruise be back for a fourth helping?

MTV's Josh Horowitz asked producer and "M:I III" director J.J. Abrams that very question on the National Board of Review red carpet two nights ago.

"The goal would be for that to occur," Abrams said, skirting around actually mentioning anyone or anything by name. So Josh pressed him a little. Read more...

FROM MTV.COM: Taylor Lautner's got abs of gold. "New Moon" has reeled in $288 million in just seven weeks in theaters, making it the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year and climbing. Now the movie's star is about to get paid. Big-time.

Lautner is set to earn $7.5 million for his next picture, according to a Deadline Hollywood report, making him the highest-paid teen in Hollywood. The film, titled "Northern Lights," is about a young aerobatics pilot who falls in love with a female pilot. Helmed by "Max Payne" director John Moore, the film is set to start shooting on April 1.

Continue reading Taylor Lautner Set To Become Highest-Paid Teen Actor For Tom Cruise Flick

FROM MTV.COM: In 2006, J.J. Abrams was largely known as a TV guy, one of the creative minds behind fare like "Lost" and "Alias." Then came a turn in the directing chair for "Mission: Impossible III," when he popped off explosions galore around Tom Cruise, and Abrams' career was never the same. Rebooted "Star Trek," anyone?

Now, a fourth "Mission" is in the works. Will Abrams step back into the role that brought him from small-screen whiz kid to big-screen guru? That seems unlikely, as Abrams made clear in an interview with MTV News.

Continue reading J.J. Abrams Isn't Planning To Direct 'Mission: Impossible IV'

Last time we checked in on possibility-defying super-agent Ethan Hunt, he had once again saved the world and was headed off on his honeymoon. Three years after "Mission: Impossible III" ended, Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams are gearing up for a fourth go at the franchise. So what's happened to Hunt during this period of "Mission" silence?

Has he given up the life of a secret-keeping secret agent for the pleasures and pains of committed matrimony? Or did Hunt ditch his bride Julia and dive back into a world of insurmountable obstacles, cool gadgets and witty one-liners? And how, if at all, would Hunt's character arc impact the possibility of Michelle Monaghan, who played Julia, returning to the franchise? Read more...

A year ago, it seemed a remake of Jerome Salle's French thriller "Anthony Zimmer" was all set to begin filming in early 2009 with Tom Cruise and Charlize Theron starring and Bharat Nalluri ("The Crow: Salvation") directing. All of those players have now passed their respective hats though. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Theron is out and will potentially be replaced by Angelina Jolie.

The English-language redo, which is titled "The Tourist," had already seen Cruise replaced with "Terminator Salvation" actor Sam Worthington. Reportedly Nalluri is also off the film and producers seek a filmmaker who will work well with Jolie. Interestingly enough, the female half of Brangelina just finished shooting the action/thriller "Salt," for which she had replaced Cruise in the gender-switched lead role. Read more...

I don't know a whole lot about "Wichita." James Mangold is directing a powerhouse leading man and lady in stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The story involves a woman (Diaz) who is inadvertently pulled into a global plot while out on a blind date with a man (Cruise) who turns out to be a government agent.

None of that really matters for the purposes of this post though. That image below comes from the set of "Wichita," which is currently shooting in Boston. There are more for you to enjoy. Click the image below to check out our newly added "Wichita" set photos.

-- The Sundance Film Festival will add the Next section for next year's gathering. The category will showcase six to eight films which make "innovative and original" use of low-/no-budget features. I wonder if "District 9" would have made the cut. (Variety)

-- Buried in a report on the upcoming lineup for Dino De Laurentiis Co., it was revealed that an adaptation of Karen Russell's novel "St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves" is in the works. The story follows a group of girls raised by werewolves as they are being prepared to interact with civilized society. (Variety) Read more...

This is double-take-worthy news. Hell, it's late. Go take yourself a triple.

"close talks" with Universal Pictures to play blood-sucker Lestat Du Lioncourt in a big screen return for Anne Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles," according to a report at Bloody Disgusting. It should be noted that there's no attribution for the news, though BD has a good track record with scoops.

Downey would be the third actor to wear Lestat's fangs after Stuart Townsend, in "Queen of the Damned" (2003), and, perhaps most famously, Tom Cruise in "Interview with the Vampire" (1994). There's no word yet on how the planned return to Rice's fiction will approach the story, with or without the "Iron Man" star. Read more...

Aah, the Fourth of July. It’s the perfect weekend for barbecuing, enjoying your family… and watching Rambo rip a man’s Adam’s Apple out with his bare hands?

We have tons of Christmas movies, Halloween movies; hell, there’s even a “Groundhog’s Day” film. But what do we watch when we gather around the TV on Independence Day? To help solve the problem, here are the top 10 films we’d recommend as must-see holiday viewing. Read more...