Red hot off the back of the critical and commercial acclaim for this summer's Star Trek, it's fair to say that JJ Abrams is a man in demand. Considering it's only the second feature film he's directed, after Mission: Impossible 3, his ascent is all the more remarkable, albeit entirely acclaimed for those of us who followed his TV work.

Meanwhile, Tom Cruise is working on a fourth instalment in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Cruise needs a hit right now, as the last time - if you don't count his Tropic Thunder cameo - he had a big hit under his own name was Mission: Impossible 3. And even that was regarded to have commercially underperformed by its studio. Valkyrie didn't do bad business, but there are concerns that Cruise's box office pulling power is some distance from where it once was.

Mission: Impossible, therefore, is the chip he's always held in his back pocket. He turned to it immediately after the marathon shoot for Eyes Wide Shut, and while his star was burning brightly post-War Of The Worlds when he made the third film, he's arguably never needed the franchise more than he does now.

And thus, he's re-recruited JJ Abrams for action. Abrams won't be directing the third film - each of the movies has had a different helmer - but he's back on board, at Cruise's request, as a producer. He may yet direct, of course, but no deal has been done there, nor announcement made. Nor is there a firm timescale known for the project.

It may still prove to be a smart move for Mr Cruise, though, even if we suspect that Mr Abrams might opt for a second Star Trek movie over directing a fourth Mission: Impossible instalment...