A World’s End

The long awaited end of the trilogy begun with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz might not be a genre movie at all. “One thing Edgar and me have discussed, we’ve been away for a weekend and got things going, is that we’re not going to just do what we’ve done before,” Pegg said. “Even though we want this film to be like Shaun of the Dead times Hot Fuzz, we’re not the genre guys. I think people want to figure us out and they want to know who we are. That’s not it. So we’re not going to do okay, let’s do cowboys next. What Edgar and I are trying to do is fit in some writing time before I start Star Trek.”

The Adventures of Tintin

‘The Adventures of Tintin’ Teaser Has A Whole Mess Of Danger

Trailers for Tintin have come out and most audiences are still confused. It’s motion capture, it’s Belgian, but having played a character in it, Pegg says it’s all quite noticeably a Steven Spielberg movie.

“Yes, because you can feel his DNA in the way that it moves. I’ve seen some of it. Motion capture is more like directing live action because you are dealing with a 3D environment. You’re moving the camera around a 3D environment, but that 3D environment is digital. It’s not real. All the way that the camera moves, it’s Steven and you definitely feel that.”

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Suffice it to stay, Pegg has a bigger part in the sequel to Mission: Impossible III. “I had two days on Mission: Impossible III. That was it. I did seven months on the fourth one so yeah, I go back.”

Rumor has it Jeremy Renner is positioned to take over the franchise from Tom Cruise, but Pegg says it’s ambiguous. “It has been bandied around. Looking at the film as it is, I don’t think so. It’s anyone’s guess really. It certainly sets up a new IMF agent who can return and who is an Ethan level player. We’ll see. I honestly don’t know. It’s one of those things that there’s a lot of life in that story because it is a kind of Bond thing that you can just have iterations of different adventures and different teams and stuff. I can’t say really. I don’t want to give anything away. It’s another Mission: Impossible but it’s an evolution I think. There’s some great character stuff in it. There’s some incredible action.”

On the photos of Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai:

Pegg got an even better view of that stunt. “He leapt out the window of the tallest building in the world and looked back in at all of us, this huge sh*t eating grin on his face. The guy’s a machine. It’s insane. He was like running like a spider along the side of the Burj Khalifa. I’m glad that was seen because I wouldn’t want anyone to watch the movie and not know he did that because he did do that. I was just feeling sick saying that. What are you doing you crazy bastard? Yeah, it’s going to be good.”

Pauls

‘Paul’ Looks Like A Kids Film With Lots Of F-Bombs

Pegg and Nick Frost actually have an idea for a sequel to Paul too. Like that other classic alien franchise, the sequel will just be plural. “Nick and I have this idea that we had out on the way to Area 51 that was really funny. It was like oh, this could be great. It would cost an absolute fucking fortune. If it involved more than on Paul, it would mean that we’d have to have twice that budget again. The idea was it was called Pauls. Again, it was like From Dusk Til Shaun, that title is so good we have to make that film.”

A big motivation for Pegg to do another Paul was he’d like to recreate the experience of traveling the country and working with American comedians in supporting roles. He promises he’ll still write a good script though. “I do have enough principles to stop me doing that just for the sake of it. It would have to be a good idea, but I’ve just been thinking about that recently. You ask yourself why you do what you do. It’s not for the reward. It’s for the experience, not the product.”

I gotta give mad props to Tom Cruise for spitting in the face of death. The actor recently ran across a building like a ninja for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. And it wasn’t just any building. It was the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest building the world. He could have used a stunt double instead of dangling 124 floors above very hard, real ground, but Cruise prefers the authenticity that comes from doing stunts himself. I get queasy peering over my apartment’s third floor balcony, so I suppose Tom Cruise just made me look like a little bitch. Good for you, Cruise. I deserved to be taken down a peg.

Check out the crazy stunt pics after the jump…

(DailyMail)

The official title of Mission: Impossible 4 is Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and no, Tom Clancy‘s name does not preceed that. Stars Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and director Brad Bird announced the news at a press conference in Dubai. They also said they’ll be doing a lot of filming in Dubai, including on the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. Said Tom Cruise, "I’ll be spending many days, many hours on the side of this building, I can’t give you details, but I will be up there." Not sure if his being up there has to do with the movie, or that he heard Katie was on the ground looking for him. (Collider)

Brad Bird can’t quit adding baddies, and people in general, to his Mission: Impossible 4 movie. Michael Nyqvist from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films recently joined as a villain, and now Anil Kapoor and Lea Seydoux have chosen to accept the mission of kicking Ethan Hunt’s ass.

You might remember Kapoor as the backstabbing game show host in Slumdog Millionaire, and Seydoux from Robin Hood and the intense opening scene in Inglourious Basterds. The two join an already huge cast of Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Josh Holloway. With that many people lending a hand, the mission seems to be getting less impossible. Team work, you guys! (Deadline)

Josh Holloway, best known for playing con man and quip spouter Sawyer on "Lost," has chosen to accept Mission: Impossible 4 as his next project. He’ll suit up with a cast that already includes Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg. No details on who he’ll play or what he’ll do or how the movie will include a plot. I do know the when. It’s shooting in the fall for a December 2011 release.

Mission: Impossible 4 will be directed by Brad Bird, the guy who makes terrific animated movies. It’s the first studio film for Holloway and the first live action studio film for Bird. Talk about the odd men out. If some teasing and serious intimidation on Tom Cruise’s part doesn’t cause rifts in production someone isn’t taking full advantage of their elite Hollywood status. Give the rookies purple nurples while you still can, veterans! (THR)

On Monday, we reported that Lauren German, Kristin Kreuk, and Paula Patton were in contention for the sexy female role in Mission: Impossible 4. Well Paula Patton has emerged victorious! The Deja Vu star will play a young operative who works with Ethan Hunt.

Tom Cruise will reprise his role as Hunt, but Paramount doesn’t want to make a big deal about his involvement. He was the cat’s meow back when the first movie launched, but now he’s that guy you dread having lunch with simply to maintain the relationship. Maybe M:I 4 director Brad Bird can elevate his status back to Top Gun levels. That is if co-star Jeremy Renner doesn’t steal the spotlight. Oh how that would anger Cruise so. Couch-stomping mad. (Deadline)

Now that Jeremy Renner has been cast to distract from the fact that box office poison Tom Cruise is appearing in Mission: Impossible 4, it’s time to figure out which skinny actress will be running around and firing Uzi’s that somehow don’t shatter her wrist. And the contenders are Hostel 2‘s Lauren German, Streetfighter‘s Kristin Kreuk, and Alan Thicke’s daughter-in-law Paula Patton.

The three actresses are all testing for the role of a female operative in the Brad Bird-helmed sequel. Nothing more is known about the character beyond that description, but let’s assume she will wear a leather bodysuit. All the best spies do. (Deadline)

While Renner is a great actor, I really don’t understand the logic behind bringing him in. After Knight and Day bombed, it was reported that Paramount wanted a star to help compensate for Cruise’s waning box-office appeal. Is Renner the man for that job? If you really want this thing to be a hit, you need to cast Taylor Lautner or maybe The Situation. That’s how you get asses in the seats, damn it.

According to my super-secret source within Paramount Pictures (by that I mean The Wrap), director Brad Bird and Tom Cruise are about to begin casting for the role of Ethan Hunt’s protégé in Mission: Impossible 4. While nothing is definite, Keven Zegers, Christopher Egan and Anthony Mackie are all vying for the part, although they may be in the running for other roles, as well.

After the failure of Cruise’s last film, Knight and Day, Paramount was anxious to hedge its bets by bringing in another prominent actor to help draw an audience. By that logic, I really don’t see why the studio passed over Tyler Perry. Diary of a Mad Black Warlord or I Can Do Baghdad All My Myself would have killed, and no one would have cared about the bad acting or cheesy plot. (/Film)

There is absolutely no question that Paramount wants Tom Cruise to return as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible 4. THR has proof:

"We absolutely are excited about having Tom Cruise star in this movie," is how Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore put it Tuesday.

But the studio also is monitoring the overseas performance of Cruise’s latest film Knight and Day to see whether the star retains his longtime hold over foreign audiences. If that film should gross less than $200 million overseas, some industry observers think Paramount will consider recasting the Ethan Hunt role.

Wait, what? They want him unless they don’t want him? Get your sh*t together, Paramount. Tom Cruise needs to eat, and if you aren’t going to feed him that carrot you’re dangling than cut the man loose. Which brings me to the mechanical bull movie:

Cruise attended a table read this week at the Saddle Ranch eatery in West Hollywood for a Sony project to be produced by Will Smith’s production company, Overbrook Entertainment. The film in question, "Paper Wings," is set in urban cowboy world, and Saddle Ranch had the right ambience for the read because it features a mechanical bull.

Let’s not forget about the kitschy longhorn skulls on the walls and the melty cookie pie dessert. It’s just like you’re wrangling steer in the Montana mountains! Basically, everything depends on if foreign people like Tom Cruise or not. Mission: Impossible is a brand, and a sequel will likely succeed with or without him. In fact, if foreigners hate Cruise, it might be worth injecting the project with some fresh blood. The actor could probably help Paramount out with that. He must have a locker of it next to the room he keeps Katie chained up in.  

Though he’s never directed a live-action film, Brad Bird is the top choice to direct Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 4. That’s an inspired choice. Bird’s animated works have shown off his flair for combining crazy action with touching characters. The Iron Giant and The Incredibles are instant classics and Ratatouille made me so afraid of germs on my food that I’ve lived a Howard Hughes existence ever since seeing it. Ever since seeing it. Ever since seeing it. *pees into milk bottle*

Bird has been trying for quite some time to get disaster drama 1906 in front of cameras, but that has been bogged down with budgetary issues. Hopefully, he’ll get M:I 4 and that will lead to bigger and better projects. I say give this guy the gig. There have been so many subpar action thrillers released in the last decade, it’s time for a few more great ones. Our eyeballs deserve at least that much. (Heat Vision)

Paramount Home Entertainment put on a huge bash at L.A.’s Griffith Observatory to celebrate the release of Star Trek on DVD and Blu-ray and Screen Junkies caught up with J.J. Abrams on the black carpet. When asked if he would return for another impossible mission with Tom Cruise, Abrams indicated that he will serve as producer but has another film he’s helming that will interfere with him directing another Mission: Impossible.

“The one I’m directing hopefully next year, I’m just in the early stages of that or middle of that, which is probably going to preclude my availability for doing Mission,” Abrams said. “Although I so love what the script is, what the story is. Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec are writing a script and they’re doing an amazing job so I’m already sort of envious of whoever ends up directing that movie.”

Don’t feel too bad J.J.. I’m sure there are people out there that are jealous of Felicity. Somewhere.