Last month we heard that Mission: Impossible 4 may take the form of a reboot of sorts that would live under altered title of The Mission. Yes, the film's star and lead character - Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt - would remain the same, as well as some of the supporting cast, but M:I IV would have nothing to do with its predecessor and instead, “the story brings a fresh perspective to the action-spy franchise.”

Tom Cruise, Producer J.J. Abrams and director Brad Bird are going all-out in their attempt to revitalize the Mission: Impossible franchise and to make it something much, much bigger. Cruise is taking a paycut to make the movie happen the "right" way and there's been no holding back on the casting front, with the most recent news revealing that Josh Holloway will be joining the growing star-studded cast of Mission: Impossible 4.

Holloway is best known for his role as the infamous Sawyer from the hit ABC series Lost where he plays a con-man with a heart who grows into one of the lovable heroes of the series. Despite his popularity and fame garnered from his six-year stint in the J.J. Abrams/Damon Lindelof/Carlton Cuse series, Holloway has never been able to break into Hollywood and Mission: Impossible 4 will mark his major film debut. Years ago, Holloway had the chance to play a cameo role in the X-Men films as the character of Gambit but he reportedly turned it down due to the character's similarities to his role on Lost.

No details have been released about the character Josh Holloway will be playing other than the report indicating that he'll be another team member joining Tom Cruise's "Impossible Mission Force" alongside Jeremy Renner. This isn't just a team of super spies that the character Ethan Hunt is heading up in the movie, it's a team of very cool and very likable actors headlined up by Tom Cruise. Along with the franchise first-timers, we'll also be treated to the return of Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg.

Other new faces jumping aboard the franchise are Paula Patton as the female lead,  Vladimir Mashkov as an unknown character, and Michael Nyqvist as the villain.

The story of "The Mission" seems to be taking an even more team-oriented approach than Ethan Hunt's previous (near)impossible tasks. Cruise's character has always had the help of some close allies, but in Mission: Impossible 4/The Mission, those team members will have a much more substantial part to play, especially considering who they're casting into the roles of Ethan Hunt's fellow agents.

There's strong positive buzz around all Mission: Impossible 4 news so far and more importantly, the talent signing on. Paramount Pictures is starting off on the right foot with the next franchise installment and I'm already sold on seeing it. As for Holloway, it's about damn time he's given a role such as this.

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Keep reading Screen Rant for more Mission: Impossible 4 news. M:I IV shoots in the Vancouver, Prague, Dubai and parts of the U.S. for a December 16, 2011 release.

Source: THR