According to THR, the script for the next Mission Impossible film will come from Will Staples. Tom Cruise will reprise his role as Ethan Hunt and Christopher McQuarrie will direct. Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3) had originally been chosen to write prior to McQuarrie coming on.

Staples is best known for his work on the video game franchises Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Need for Speed, which received a film adaptation earlier this year. The campaigns of the Modern Warfare games are known for placing the fate of the world at stake thanks to elaborate schemes similar to those shown in the Mission Impossible films. Staples is also working on Blood & Treasure for Warner Bros. McQuarrie wrote screenplays for previous Tom Cruise action films including Edge of Tomorrow and Valkyrie and wrote and directed Jack Reacher.

J.J. Abrams, who directed Mission Impossible 3, will produce through Bad Robot along with Tom Cruise Productions and Skydance. Paramount hopes to release Mission Impossible 5 on Christmas Day 2015, similar to the previous film, Ghost Protocol, which also opened in December. Ghost Protocol, adjusted for inflation, had the weakest opening weekend of the series yet.