Paula Patton Joins 'Mission: Impossible 4'

EXCLUSIVE: Paula Patton has landed that female lead role that Deadline told you she was testing for, alongside actresses Lauren German and Kristen Kreuk. I’m told that Patton will play a young operative who works with Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt character. The film will not be called Mission: Impossible 4. Cruise and JJ Abrams, who hatched the project together, always envisioned it as a franchise reboot. The film begins production in the fall with Brad Bird directing Cruise, who’ll co-star with The Hurt Locker‘s Jeremy Renner in what was another hotly contested role. Paramount co-finances the $140 million film with David Ellison’s Skydance banner. It marks the first film for Cruise and Paramount since he left the studio after generating over $3 billion in worldwide grosses for Paramount.