People might look back at the 2011 holiday movie season and claim that they knew Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was going to be a big hit, but don't be fooled by that 20/20 hindsight talk. With Tom Cruise finding it harder and harder to strike box office gold in recent years, a movie franchise that many claimed was past its prime, and a director (Brad Bird) whose previous achievements were in the realm of animation... needless to say, there were more than a few doubts hanging over the film.

As of writing this post, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is an undeniable success, having scored well with critics (read our review) and over $100 million at the worldwide box office after an impressive 5-day IMAX debut and just one day in worldwide theatrical release. It's little surprise, then, that Paramount (and its subsidiary, Skydance Productions) is already looking ahead to Mission: Impossible 5.

Moviehole has done some digging around at the studio and discovered that they are indeed pleased with how Ghost Protocol has performed so far, and are wholly enthused about the movie's projected earnings over the entire holiday block. As one source connected to Paramount's production branch claimed, “Skydance definitely wants to get going quickly on [Mission] 5. And a Top Gun."

[Sidenote: We've previously reported on the in-development sequel to Top Gun, which director Tony Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are onboard for - and would supposedly feature Tom Cruise in a supporting role as Maverick. If you want to know more, just check out our coverage of Top Gun 2.]

As we discussed on our own Mission: Impossible 4 episode of the Screen Rant Underground podcast, with Brad Bird and Tom Cruise having successfully given this franchise a new lease on life, seeing a fifth installment go into production is almost a no-brainer. The next chapter would need to come soon, though, because as was noted by our entire editorial stuff, certain scenes of a shirtless Cruise in M:I4 revealed that, while still buff, the action star is starting to show his age. If he is to remain the face of the franchise, best not to wait too long before sending him on his next Mission.

One of the strengths of Ghost Protocol was its re-aligned focus on an ensemble dynamic, rather than being the "Tom Cruise vs. the world" showcase that previous installments were. Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner helped shoulder a lot of the weight that would've otherwise been placed squarely on Cruise, and if Bird comes back to helm the next film (and he definitely should be given that option) it's our hope that the team-centric focus continue.

Did you enjoy Mission: Impossible 4? Ready to see Mission: Impossible 5 sooner before later?

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is currently playing in regular and IMAX theaters. We'll keep you posted on the status of Mission: Impossible 5.

Source: Moviehole