Fifth 'Mission: Impossible' film starts production

MANILA, Philippines – Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions announced today that principal photography has commenced on the fifth installment in the blockbuster “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

The new film will shoot in Vienna, Morocco and London.

Christopher McQuarrie will direct from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Christopher McQuarrie and Will Staples. The film is produced by Tom Cruise through Tom Cruise Productions and J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk through Bad Robot. Skydance Productions’ David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will serve as executive producers.

The film stars Tom Cruise reprising the iconic role of Ethan Hunt, who was first introduced to moviegoers in 1996. Returning to the franchise will be Simon Pegg as Benji, Jeremy Renner as Brandt and Ving Rhames as Luther. Joining the cast will be Alec Baldwin and Rebecca Ferguson.

The fourth installment in the globally successful franchise, “Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol,” earned nearly $700 million worldwide and became Cruise’s highest grossing film to date in his storied career.

The “Mission: Impossible” franchise has earned more than $2 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful franchises in movie history.

The fifth “Mission: Impossible” film will be distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.