Now, this is a smart piece of casting. Since Knight And Day opened to disappointing business in the US, it's been little secret that Paramount has been looking for a co-star for Tom Cruise in its upcoming Mission: Impossible 4. And it appears to have made a very smart call.

For it's been confirmed that Jeremy Renner has signed up to co-star in the film. This is, of course, the man who snagged a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his terrific turn in The Hurt Locker, and you can't help wondering if Paramount will be looking to push ahead with Renner front and centre of Mission: Impossible 5, should Paramount extend the franchise still further.

Renner is joining a cast that already sees Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames returning. And intriguingly, it's the mighty Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Iron Giant, The Incredibles) who is making his live action debut with the movie.

The film's out on December 16th 2011. You can put our name down for a ticket right now, if you want...