mission impossible

Jeremy Renner to Defuse Mission Impossible 4’s Tom Cruise Problem

The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner will star as Tom Cruise’s No. 2 (and eventual replacement) in the fourth Mission Impossible movie. Paramount had been looking for someone who could “carry the series down the line, should Cruise’s Ethan Hunt character not continue to be the emphasis,” says Deadline’s Mike Fleming (though Cruise is “expected to return for a fifth installment”). They think they’ve found their guy in Renner — he “has a Daniel Craig quality,” says a source — so this week’s planned meetings with Kevin Zegers, Christopher Egan and Renner’s Locker costar Anthony Mackie have been cancelled. As long as this doesn’t interfere with Renner’s role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Scientology movie, we approve.

Exclusive: Paramount Picks Jeremy Renner To Co-Star With Tom Cruise In ‘Mission: Impossible 4’ [Deadline]

Jeremy Renner to Defuse Mission Impossible 4’s Tom Cruise Problem