In franchise terms, the three years between Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and upcoming sequel Mission: Impossible 5, is a whopping gap. Paramount Pictures and Skydance’s decision to wait until the perfect line-up was assembled is a gamble that seems to be paying off. As the follow-up continues its shoot, Variety has the news of another pawn added to the espionage mix: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy‘s Simon McBurney.
So far we’ve little to go on in terms of story for the fifth instalment, which makes the details of McBurney’s role redundant. According to Variety, he’ll play the boss of franchise newcomer, Rebecca Ferguson. The report re-confirms the addition of Prometheus star Sean Harris to the cast, who’s reportedly on board to play the movie’s big bad. Alec Baldwin is also attached in an undisclosed role.
Back on the spy game are returning cast members Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Jeremy Renner, all set to reprise their roles. While we know next-to-nothing else about the project, we’d place our bets on the gang embarking on another globe-trotting adventure.
McBurney made his biggest splash with another spy caper, the Brit drama adaptation, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He’s also made the leap across the pond recently, taking a part in Woody Allen’s Magic In The Moonlight and upcoming Stephen Hawking biopic, The Theory Of Everything.
Mission: Impossible 5 will mark Christopher McQuarrie’s fourth collaboration with Tom Cruise, which began with the cracking action thriller Jack Reacher back in 2012. McQuarrie’s approach to action often anchors the kinetic pace of story in the dark mindsets of his characters. His take on Ethan Hunt’s latest escapade is one that we’re very excited about, especially since Drew Pearce and Will Staples are on scripting duties.
Mission: Impossible 5 opens in theatres on December 25th, 2015.