Deadline reports Paula Patton (“Precious”) has nabbed the female lead role opposite Tom Cruise in the fourth installment of “Mission: Impossible” (as we reported last week, the movie will be dropping the “4” from its title). Patton will be playing a “young operative” in the employ of Cruise’s Ethan Hunt character.
It was previously reported that Lauren German (“Hostel: Part II”) and Kristin Kreuk (WB’s Smallville” series) were also testing for the “M:I” role, and while all three have shown promise, it comes as no surprise that Patton snagged the role; she’s a bit more experienced than the other two and has held her own in such varied films as “Deja Vu” with Denzel Washington, the OutKast musical “Idlewild,” “Precious,” the horror flick “Mirrors,” etc.
Patton will definitely be an interesting choice as the female foil working with the duo of Cruise and Jeremy Renner, the latter joining the picture as Ethan Hunt’s partner. The cast is shaping up nicely with some very talented thesps, and with Brad Bird directing this go around, the reboot definitely has promise.
Filming begins in various locations around the world this fall, and should hit theaters on December 16, 2011. – with Tan Nguyen
