Mission: Impossible films have been around since 1996 when the first of the series hit the screens to a roaring reception from people all over the world. The fifth edition, “Mission: Impossible 5”, now thought to use 2015 Christmas Day as the release date, is likely to face fierce competition during that month with another movie, Disney’s Star Wars Episode VII, slated to be released a week earlier. Film-goers can, therefore, look forward to an eventful December 2015, with Star Wars Episode VII set to come as a Christmas eve gift and Mission: Impossible 5 now gearing up to be right there as an Xmas present.

Although reports have it that the Mission: Impossible franchise is likely to kick start the production campaign some time in February 2014, the line up for the film is not yet complete. The only confirmation as such in the acting department is the return of Tom Cruise for a fifth time to don the role of Ethan Hunt. While it has not been decided who will be pairing with Cruise, available indications point to Jeremy Renner getting ready to perform as Ethan’s partner.

Simon Pegg Returning

Meanwhile, Simon Pegg has gone on record stating that he will also be returning to Mission: Impossible 5 for a third appearance. Talking to MTV News on the occasion of promoting the release of “The World’s End”, Pegg claimed that he will be back in the franchise once again. “Yes, absolutely. I’m looking forward to doing that”, he said. The actor went on to add that he was undertaking necessary steps to keep his body in shape. “I’ve already started eating one carrot a day in order to be in shape,” Pegg said.

The film is directed by Christopher McQuarrie and produced by J.J. Abrams, who incidentally is also the director and producer of Star Wars Episode VII. Joining Abrams in the production unit will be Cruise and David Ellison, who partnered with Abrams in Star Trek. Mark Bakshi will be the executive producer of the film, which will be written by Drew Pearce, who drew a lot of attention after drafting the script for Marvel’s “Iron Man 3”.

While film lovers are keen to know about the plot of Mission: Impossible 5, it continues to remain a wild guess, although there are widespread expectations on how Pearce will pen the script to suit Ethan Hunt’s daredevil acts.

Successful Franchise

Mission: Impossible had a large audience as a TV series. The film spin-off has also been quite successful, with more than $2 billion collection all over the world making it the 15th highest grossing film series.

With great plots, the franchise has so far been highly successful in reading the pulse of the movie-goers correctly and carrying forward the thrill and excitement to the next edition. Going by that trend, Mission: Impossible 5 can be expected to be another blockbuster from the reputed franchise.