It may be a while before we see Mission: Impossible 5 head into production, but we will see Tom Cruise emulate the Ethan Hunt character through different films. But that doesn’t mean that the actor hasn’t stopped thinking about how to extend the franchise hit, and since Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol was a hit, there wasn’t any doubt that a fifth film was on the way.

Considering no one has been hired to write the script and Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird said that it was unlikely he would return to direct for a second time, production for Mission: Impossible 5 has stalled. However, each film had a different director, and each had a different take on the threat facing Agent Hunt, so don’t be surprised to hear that someone other than Bird will direct the film.

A new clip from the upcoming Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol has been released. You can watch it here below.

It’s basically a chase scene, and those are a dime a dozen these days, but this one has an interesting hook. The scene involves Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) pursuing an unknown person on foot and in a car while a sandstorm rages. With his vision obscured by the storm Hunt has to rely on a tracking device to find his quarry, which adds a measure of suspense to the chase. I also like that Michael Giacchino, who scored the previous MI flick, is back on composer duty.

The lackluster box office grosses (not a flop, but not a good omen either) for the 2006 sequel Mission: Impossible III had the studio suits at Paramount questioning the future of the once-viable tentpole action franchise, but after more than five years the blockbuster movie series is back with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

The second trailer for the movie has been released and you can watch it here below.

Back in December 2007 Warner Bros. sent out the opening bank robbery sequence from the then-forthcoming The Dark Knight attached to IMAX screenings of I Am Legend. It was a risky move on the studio’s part and it didn’t take long for the footage to leak online, but it paid off splendidly the next year and was one of the highlights of Warner’s aggressive marketing campaign for the movie, particularly as it provided an early showcase for the production’s beautiful IMAX cinematography (several scenes from the movie were shot in the format). Therefore, it would make sense for the studio to go with what has proven successful in the past in regards to the marketing for next summer’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Paramount Pictures has released a new still from their upcoming Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. You can check out the full, larger version of the photo by clicking the thumbnail below this article.

It’s not the most exciting photo in the world but we do get a good look at a rather tense encounter between Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his elusive new team member Brandt (franchise newcomer Jeremy Renner) while Paula Patton and Simon Pegg sort of sit in the background watching. I think Cruise has a gun in his left hand, but the picture is too grainy to tell. Nice flooring in that room though.