Let’s just get right to it: originally slated to drop on Christmas Day, Paramount has ambitiously moved up "Mission: Impossible 5" to July 31st, where it will face off against the "Point Break" remake, Jake Gyllenhaal‘s boxing flick "Southpaw," and the Ryan Reynolds thing "Self/Less" (how on Earth is that guy still commanding summer release dates?). Clearly it’s a sign of confidence on behalf of Paramount, but are they walking right into potential publicity trouble?
At Sundance this weekend, Alex Gibney‘s Scientology documentary, "Going Clear," made its world premiere, providing insight into the organization’s shady history and celebrity connections. Among the allegations the film makes, as detailed by The Daily Beast, is that Tom Cruise was pressured to split from Nicole Kidman, with her phone being tapped (apparently his idea), and their adopted children "re-educated" against their mother. Yikes. HBO has the rights to the documentary, which they’ll air starting March 16th, just four months before ‘Mission: Impossible’ opens.
Will Paramount’s undoubtedly big campaign for "Mission: Impossible — Title To Be Determined" drown out whatever controversies lurk within Gibney’s doc as they relate to Cruise? We’ll see. It will certainly be the actor and studio’s most interesting mission yet.
