Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation’s Christopher McQuarrie may be returning for writing and directing duties on Mission Impossible 6, according to Variety.
If McQuarrie does return, it will be a first for the MI franchise to have a repeat director. The first four were helmed sequentially by Brian De Palma (The Untouchables), John Woo (Face Off), J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), and Brad Bird (Tommorrowland). Star Tom Cruise is on board to return. Rumor has it that Rebecca Ferguson (The Girl on the Train) may reprise her well-received Rogue Nation role of Ilsa Faust. Simon Pegg is also likely to return in his role as IMF field agent Benji Dunn.
McQuarrie won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for 1995’s The Usual Suspects, which also garnered star Kevin Spacey his first Oscar. McQuarrie previously teamed with Cruise, helming Jack Reacher in 2012. Cruise is currently filming a sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, under the direction of Edward Zwick (Pawn Sacrifice).
Rogue Nation was a smash hit this summer, earning over $682 million in global box office receipts. It is no wonder that Paramount and Skydance plan to move fast on the next MI installment, and the feature may go into production as early as August.