MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 6 is Back Up and Running Again, and Tom Cruise Will Be Back

A little while ago, Paramount Pictures put Mission: Impossible 6 on hold while they negotiated with star Tom Cruise about his fee for returning to the franchise. Cruise reportedly wanted more money and was apparently holding out for a higher percentage of backend fees. We're not sure exactly how those conversations turned out, but in any case, THR reports that Cruise is "on the verge of closing his deal to return" as Ethan Hunt in the new movie. Let's face it: this is one of the few legitimate franchises Paramount has at this point, and it's not like they have a lot of other stuff going on, so they might as well pay Cruise what he's asking for and watch the box office dollars roll in.

We know that Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation breakout Rebecca Ferguson is returning to reprise her role as Ilsa Faust in the new film, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie is coming back to write the screenplay for the sixth entry, and he's going to try to push himself more as a filmmaker this time around (it's still unclear if he's also directing this one). Chances seem pretty high that Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Jeremy Renner will be back as well, and I'm really hoping Alec Baldwin comes back just so he can deliver more amazing lines like referring to Ethan Hunt as "the living manifestation of destiny."

All parties are looking at spring 2017 as the new start date, which means we probably won't see the finished film until sometime in 2018.