Synopsis:  This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization's name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this.

Cast:  Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Josh Holloway, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Lea Seydoux, Anil Kapoor

Director: Brad Bird

Genre:  Action & Adventure

Release Date: December 16th, 2011

The teaser trailer for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol made it abundantly clear that Brandt, the new character played by Jeremy Renner, is not necessarily who he appears to be, while also showing that the series' hero Ethan Hunt does not trust Brandt very much, and perhaps rightly so.  A new official image from the fourth Mission: Impossible installment shows Tom Cruise communicating that distrust, while Paula Patton and Simon Pegg look on like children watching their parents on the verge of a blowout argument.

The character of Ethan Hunt hasn't been terribly consistent over the course of the three past Mission: Impossible films.  In the first, directed by Brian DePalma fifteen years ago, Hunt was something of a blank slate, a capable but no-doubt in-over-his-head IMF agent just trying to keep up with the craziness and double crosses afoot.  In John Woo's sequel, he was a superhuman wire-fu expert and globe-trotting ladies' man who free-climbed on vacation.  In the third film, directed by JJ Abrams, he was a good-humored veteran teamleader looking to settle down with his true love.  A new promotional image for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol makes one wonder which Hunt Tom Cruise will be playing this time, as he stares out from under a hoodie while the Kremlin burns behind him, like an International Movie Star version of Disaster Girl.

You may not know him by name … but you definitely know his music. Academy Award winning film composer Michael Giacchino has written some of the most recognizable themes in film and on television in the last decade including Lost, Mission: Impossible III, The Incredibles, Star Trek, Cloverfield, Ratatouille, and Up, which earned him his Oscar. He’s also composed the scores for two of the biggest hits of the summer, director J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, and the Pixar sequel Cars 2, which opened last weekend and earned over $66 million in its debut.

I recently had a chance to sit down and speak with composer Michael Giacchino about his work on Cars 2, his impressive career, the craft of composing, collaborating with directors, and a few of his upcoming projects. Here is what he had to say:

Way back in 1996, we first saw Tom Cruise engaging in all manner of heroics as IMF agent Ethan Hunt.  Since meeting Mr. Hunt, we've seen him running a lot, engaging in crazed aerial stuntwork, making optimal use of a motorcycle, and just generally handling things like a boss.  Now, with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, it looks like we'll be seeing Cruise's last dance as Hunt.  The first trailer, previously seen as a low-quality French bootleg, is now available officially and in English.  It not only doubles down on Hunt's signature action moves, but also introduces the hopeful franchise heir Jeremy Renner and even utilizes Eminem's "Won't Back Down" to maximum effect.

Over his career, Tom Cruise has done a lot of onscreen running, whether it be running from the law in Minority Report or sprinting through an airport in Jerry Maguire.  His signature franchise, the Mission: Impossible series, has featured no shortage of heroic sprinting, so of course the first trailer for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol includes plenty of running, along with explosions, and Spider-Man style vertigo-inducing action scenes.  It's a confident, action-packed trailer that introduces Jeremy Renner as the man who Paramount hopes will take the franchise reigns.  The downside?  It's a leaked international version, so it's not great quality and is entirely en francais.  Still, it's the first look at Brad Bird's live-action directorial debut.

We recently showed you a glimpse of Tom Cruise (as Ethan Hunt) scaling the outer windows of Dubai’s Burj Khalifia, which happens to be the tallest building in the world. While the shots are exciting to check out, one had to expect that Cruise wouldn’t be performing 100 percent of the stunts for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

We do after all want to see the man live to make another movie, as does the stunt man you’re about to see, perched atop the Burj Khalifia, poised to take on a high risk, high flight maneuver. Take note of the shaky stuntman, who might I remind you makes a living doing crazy crap like this; he’s as shook as a Poodle in a thunder storm.

Watch the brief video after the jump to get the beginning of an idea of what Tom Cruise has had to face for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

The fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise will not tote a number in it’s title as many expected. Rather, the film will carry the subtitle Ghost Protocol. The decision is one that Tom Cruise is all in favor of, as he’s gone on record noting his displeasure with the idea of another number in the title.

Accidentalsexiness.com just release a handful of new pictures of Tom Cruise on the Prague set of the upcoming Mission: Impossible 4. In the images you’re about to see, Cruise rocks a Russian uniform, Bruce Springsteen T, and an inconspicuous (yes, that’s a joke) mustache.

The fourth installment of the incredibly successful Mission: Impossible series is currently in the pre-production stages, and is expected to begin filming in the very near future. The big-budget actioner will shoot for an expected three weeks in Dubai, according to the emirate’s government media office.