Word of a Mission: Impossible IV has floated around since Mission: Impossible III came and went, it would seem.

Instead of becoming just another random Hollywood rumor that eventually runs out of breath and dies, this one has always stayed alive and strong. This is because those associated with the movie, such as mega-star Tom Cruise and sources close to the studio, would always remain confident that it would happen eventually. Their determination has now paid off.

It’s being reported by Deadline Hollywood that Mr. Cruise has officially signed on for the fourth installment of the gigantic Mission: Impossible franchise. The deal will also include Cruise as a producer on the film along with J.J. Abrams, who directed the third film but will not be directing here. This is not very surprising: the first film in 1996 was directed by Brian De Palma while Mission: Impossible II was directed by John Woo, so it’s something of a personality trait for each film to have a different big director.

Coming Soon is reporting that Paramount Pictures has set June 29, 2012 as the release date for the untitled sequel to J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek.

Back in April, it was reported that Paramount had hired Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof to write the screenplay to the sequel, which was at that time aiming for a Summer 2011 release [Read “˜Star Trek’ Sequel Confirmed; Possible 2011 Release]. Orci and Kurtzman penned the Star Trek script, while Lindelof served as producer.

The new June 2012 release date, which is tentative for now, is the Friday leading up to July 4th (which falls on a Wednesday), a major stake to claim, as the holiday week is notorious for high box office numbers.

Mission: Impossible III
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Starring Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan, Ving Rhames, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup
Paramount Pictures
Rated PG-13 | 126 minutes
Release Date: May 5, 2006

In Mission: Impossible III, Tom Cruise returns as IMF Secret Agent Ethan Hunt to face his deadliest foe yet Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an international weapons and information dealer — and as second sequel law dictates, if it’s not in 3-D, then this time it’s personal.

The opening sequence shows Ethan and his love, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), captured and bound by the villainous Davian, who’s threatening to kill the couple unless Hunt hands over the “Rabbit’s Foot.” It doesn’t look good for our hero, but hold on, you’ll have to wait an hour to find out what happens while the movie flashes back a few days to the “good” stuff: Ethan and Julia’s engagement party!