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While 20th Century Fox is the studio sweating it out hoping Knight and Day overcomes lackluster tracking to turn in respectable 5-day opening numbers, Paramount brass is paying close attention. That’s because the studio just received the screenplay for the new Mission: Impossible 4 penned by Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec. I’ve learned that Brad Grey and Rob Moore are reading the script over the next few days and figuring out the preliminary budget next week on the Brad Bird-directed fourquel. Cruise reprises his Ethan Hunt role and produces with MI3 director JJ Abrams. But what effect if any will Knight and Day’s box office have on the new pic? Paramount insiders tell me no decisions have been made yet. But Hollywood has been buzzing that the studio might kill MI4 if Knight doesn’t connect with audiences despite Cruise’s action hero character.
What are Paramount’s choices? The studio could choose not to accept the mission, but that seems next to impossible after all the development that’s already gone into this still viable franchise. Especially after Paramount repaired its fractured relationship with Tom around this film and just committed to a film with his Les Grossman character. Plus, Cruise made what I hear is a reasonable deal to get the film off the ground, and there is a risk-sharing partner in exec producer David Ellison and his Skydance banner. More importantly, MI4 is a big film for Abrams’ Bad Robot, one of the most important producers on the Paramount lot right now. Paramount could downsize the budget, but how much can you cut back from the $150 million mark that seems to be the going rate for action franchises, and still make MI4 look like past installments? I’m hearing the most likely course of action is for the studio to beef up the subplot that introduces a new and younger agent who becomes Hunt’s protege. The studio could then turn the franchise into more of a two-hander than the Mission: Impossible films traditionally have been. Mission: Impossible 3 grossed $398 million worldwide, while MI2 grossed $546.4 million. MI4 is schedule for release December 16, 2011, so those decisions will be made shortly.
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Agreed that this franchise has juice left in it. Can the romantics (oy – Tom doesn’t do that well AT ALL) and do bring in a younger partner (though Tom does his best work opposite other men – particularly older ones like P Newman, D Hoffman & G Hackman) — no Taylor! no Shia! Get a man like Sam Worthington. Add some smart elements – MI3 worked cuz of the chemistry of PSH as the villain with a story involved, which would cut the budget from having a zillion set pieces, which we know only works to an extent (GI JOE anyone?) and is rather superfluous in a spy thriller.
KNIGHT&DAY was a good film. One of the most entertaining of the year. Admittedly, nothing special.
MI-4 is a terrible idea…we are reaching the tipping point for these franchises and this weekend will AGAIN demonstrate that movie stars do not exist anymore. Ideas and concepts and worlds and stories drive audiences. INCEPTION, AVATAR, HANGOVER, DISTRICT 9….the list goes on and on. The common denominators? Filmmakers being left alone with ORIGINAL ideas. Tired title + tired actor = disaster box office. Tom- go do another Valkyrie. Go do another BORN ON THE 4TH. Be an actor- not a movie star. They dont exist anymore. I’d also start calling your fillmmaker buddies with original ideas and get to work.
agreed…well stated.
K&D has zip to do with the potential of MI4. K&D looks like another lame Killers style action/comedy/romcom hybrid from the advertising. A straight-up action franchise like MI is a whole different animal.
Bring in Angelina Jolie. She will rock as a sexy spy/side kick for Tom Cruise..
Angelina Jolie couldn’t help this flop any more than Marilyn Monroe could in her prime.
MI3 was the best because there was more of a team. I think they should bring back Rhys Meyers and Maggie Q and as someone else said have Meyers be the apprentice — or double-crosser.
Agree about Taylor lautner. He’s obsessed with tom cruise and wants to be an action guy. It might even work out really well, not in a quality way. Just a money way.
God help us all. Lautner is about as charismatic as a bag of sand. He will be gone 2 years after the Twilight franchise is done. If not sooner. Same with Pattinson. They suck.
People need to understand: Nobody in the Twilight fanbase is going to see some other film just because a tool like Lautner or Pattinson is in it. The studios are going to be kicking themselves when they figure this out with Lautner. My god what a witless presence on screen.
I saw Knight & Day this afternoon at the Arclight. It is very entertaining. The reviews are a little too harsh.
A giant LOL to the guy who said Knight and Day is “superb”. It was a typically lame, boring, and uncreative Hollywood spy film. Might be mildly entertaining on cable, but not something worth rushing out to see.
Finally, someone who makes a bit of direct sense in this matter.
Erik Fellows should protege
Angie Jo will eat Tommy C alive. Her star power will eclipse his waning one.
I don’t think he could handle Angie.
I think Angelina’s is waning as well…and rightfully so.
I don’t see her as that compelling a pressence or actress, frankly.
As for “Knight & Day”, it’s decently entertaining and TC is good in the flick, but despite the characterization of it being heavily marketed that I’d read…I don’t think so. The trailer was only sporadically shown thoughout the spring (I am at the movie almost every weekend) and though I don’t watch that much TV…I didn’t notice much of a pressence there either like I did for other big movies this year (for instance “The A-Team” had a larger television pressence than K&D).
I don’t see why it should effect MI4 other than possibly Cruise’s own “deal” which should shrink if K&D does tank.
-M
One person said that they have seen Knight and Day and that it was entertaining,also that the reviews are too harsh. Hey over the top harsh reviews are prevalent this year. Perhaps there is an epidemic of the dread disease,movie ennui preventing approval and enjoyment of lotsa films.
Yeah, that was me who said that and I agree with you. There really have been some really bad movies the past couple of years. Transformers 2? GI Joe? Awful.
On the other hand, I watched “Book of Eli” on DVD the other night. Really solid. I was suprised. It didn’t look good to me and I thought it was gonna suck. Good movie though.
Brad Bird has made some spectacular original films in the past. Its sad to think that he is making his live-action debut with a genre fourquel.
On the other hand, Love Josh & Andre. (But I am pretty sure its AppELbaum)
I don’t get JJ Abrams. He’s absolutely competent. No argument there. It’s all slick and shiny and high concept. But also derivative. I can recall a memorable line or action scene from any of his movies. I also can’t recall any clunkers or embarrassing moments. He does a good job making sure a lot of money is up on the screen. I’m not sure not fucking up deserves such adulation.
So he’s basically a B movie maker with big budgets. It’s wallpaper.
Word. That’s exactly it for the most part.
What unforgettable movie moments has Abrams produced to this point?
Exactly. He’s competent. He’s capable of making a fairly enjoyable entertainment. I guess that’s enough to be considered the best these days.
What is getting thin about action movies these days are weak villains and the same old tired ass SFX and camera shots of cars flipping in mid-air over the hero’s head. OR riding backwards shooting a gun with a moody babe by your side.
MI4 needs a little bit of mythology, a moral core – a stronger sense of right and wrong.
What’s really at stake? Democracy? Nukes to the Palestine? The eco system of planet earth (see James Cameron) He didn’t do True Lies – he did True Earth.
What if Dick Cheney worked with Germany to take over Britain & the US with a rouge military complex. If you get 5 5 star General, three Admirals together you could take over the world. This is what the UN is actually about anyway.
Tom Cruise can do it but he really needs to be just a guy in jeans – who is way over his head. Yes, he’s a secret agent but mostly a regular guy too.
My point is we are MI$ has to be more than a popcorn movie. It has to be a full course gourmet meal.
Want to make MI4 a hit? Kill Cruise’s character off a third of the way through… Get a cast of decent actors to portray the team that finishes the job, and voilà! You have a Mission franchise, no more need to pay cruisethe big bucks, a team of actors signed for sequels (and international composition to help worldwide grosses), AND asurprise for the audience with Cruise’s hunt dying in the mission.
Tom Cruise is into having people look at him. That’s not an artist . And that’s why the world finds him boring now. “Knight and Day” is a vehicle for his ego, just like MI4. How many cars do we need to see blow up while Tom Cruise saves the day in his lift shoes?! With one key, predictable tantrum (“acting”) in the script…
Betty White as the protege?
Was very excited for the first MI. And then it was only OK. Hope they would make a better 2 then that movie was bad.
MI3 however was awesome and was by far the best of the mission impossible movies. it felt like they finally got it right. i was bummed when TC and Par parted ways after the fact. Because finally i was dying see that franchise continue.
I was psyched when i heard they were developing MI$ with JJ producing again. And then again when I heard Brad Bird was directing. This could be incredible. I hope Par doesn’t get cold feet. Knight and Day is really good. Tom say what you will is always great and there is no reason MI4 couldn’t/shouldn’t be the best one yet. I am so excited to see what Brad Bird brings to this. Just watch the Incredibles and tell me you wouldn’t be dying to see that guy direct a big budget action film.
Make this movie!
Mission Impossible 1 & 2 were okay at best. Mission Impossible 3 was really great though. It’s unfortunate that it underperformed domestically. Lets face it, Tom Cruise is not a big star outside of the Les Grossman makeup. This is a new day and age, and he creeps most people out with his pubic persona. He doesn’t have the natural self deprecation of a Clooney, Damon, and Pitt. He is really weird, but a good actor, just not relevant in this day and age. Sorry Tom. Go back to the 80s or the 90s.
Nothing against Andrew Stanton, but am I the only who thinks Brad Bird should have directed John Carter of Mars?
I’m betting Brad Bird gets the axe and they bring on a seasoned action director. He may be an animation genius but it’s very presumptive to think those talents will translate to live-action. They are very different skillsets, maybe even anti-thetical. An animated scene can be perfected and refined and fussed over for years and years from the calm and safety of a cubicle. Directing live-action is a seat of the pants endeavor requiring split second decision making and limited time schedules.
Plenty of good action directors storyboard everything before shooting a single frame. Sounds like animation to me.
Agree with Jacob – couldn’t disagree more with Coltrane. Action scenes are laboriously planned down to the most minute detail (for many reasons, including safety and budget). Directing is a visual sensibility; Brad Bird would own this (or any other action) movie.
Knight and Day is unwatchable on principle but conflating that with the viability of another Mission Impossible is dumb. Hollywood decisionmaking is like Wall Street news:
“Investors retreated today on news that a Iowa High School is no longer serving hot dogs.”
After seeing the movie I must wholeheartedly disagree. The movie is fine; it’s not great, it’s not superb, but it IS entertaining, and is easily one of the most decent sits of this summer’s tentpoles so far.
Bring in Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the fourth and let them headline the fifth or just reboot it with them
Brad Bird was brought onto MI4 because Tom Cruise wanted him. And since Bird is a Steven Speilberg protege, and one of the best writer/directors in the business, he won’t be going anywhere soon.