Tom Cruise has been confirmed to appear in Mission Impossible 5, with the action series showing no sign of losing any steam yet, 17 years after the first movie was released. Last year’s fourth installment of the long-running franchise was also the most successful of the films yet, taking in nearly $700 million at the box office worldwide, trumping the success of the second film and proving the run wasn’t dead after a slight dip in takings from the third installment.

Deadline has confirmed that Cruise will be back in the as-yet untitled fifth film, and is also claiming that he’ll be working with his frequent collaborator, director Christopher McQuarrie. That hasn’t yet been confirmed by McQuarrie’s people, but the pair have a strong bond and most recently worked together on another action film, Jack Reacher, which they also hope will be turned into an on-going franchise.

There’s still no word on who will be writing the script for the film, but things that have been confirmed include David Ellison’s SkyDance Productions co-financing the film with Paramount – something it’s also done for Jack Reacher. We’re sensing a trend. We don’t blame them though; off a budget of $60 million that film took a worldwide gross of $216, despite a lukewarm reaction among critics. If Mission Impossible 5 is as successful as its predecessor then Cruise could be on for a bumper pay packet in the next couple of years.

Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise is onboard for a fifth Mission Impossible installment