While Tom Cruise's prominence in the next Mission: Impossible film may still be up in the air, it looks like Simon Pegg's job status as lab geek Benji Dunn is secure. The Hollywood Reporter yesterday confirmed that the Shaun of the Dead actor is in negotiations to reprise his M:I 3 character, even as Paramount eyes the box office progress of Cruise' Knight and Day in order to gauge the actor's current commercial fortitude (for the record, it has grossed about $132 million worldwide thus far).

Brad Bird (The Incredibles) is in line to make his live-action feature debut on the sequel, which is being produced by J.J. Abrams from a script by Andre Nemec and Josh Applebaum (former "Alias" writers for Abrams). Of course, Abrams directed Pegg in M:I 3, as well as Star Trek, so the duo are well into a nice working relationship.