2011 will be the year of J.J. Abrams, at least in Paramount’s mind.
Of course, there is his next directing gig, “Super 8,” which already has the Internet buzzing with its trailer that most of us haven’t seen yet. That film is scheduled to arrive next summer and then, just in time for Christmas, the Abrams-produced sequel, “Mission: Impossible IV,” once again starring Tom Cruise, will arrive on December 16, 2011.
It’s a curious move for the franchise that has had every previous installment open in May (indeed, the original release date for this one was May 27, 2011). We’re guessing that Paramount is hoping for some counter-programming bucks but, it will face stiff competition. Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo Cabret” will be opening the week before on December 9, and Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg’s mega-blockbuster “The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn” will pretty much dominate screens worldwide one week later on December 23. Oddly enough, Paramount is behind that film too; a studio releasing two major blockbusters back-to-back seems a bit strange and we wouldn’t be surprised if more shuffling happens as we get closer to 2011. It’s a gamble to be sure and it will be interesting to see if it pays off. No word yet on who will be directing the film, which we imagine will start shooting soon, but an announcement is apparently imminent.
–Written by Kevin Jagernauth
