One of the most interesting things about the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise is that a different director has helmed  each entry. We had Brian De Palma kicking things off, John Woo flubbing the sequel, J.J. Abrams getting things back on track with the third, and finally Brad Bird arguably directing the best of the series with 'Ghost Protocol.' As much as many of us wanted Bird to return, knowing the trend of the franchise, it was a cinch that someone else would be taking over for the next chapter. Now it appears the studio's top choice for the job is Christopher McQuarrie. McQuarrie worked with Cruise on 'Jack Reacher,' due out December 21st, and both Cruise and producer Abrams were quite taken with him. They are evidently waiting to hire writers for 'M:I 5'before making it official.

As soon as 'Ghost Protocol' left theaters, the discussions and speculations began as to who would be the next director in the franchise. My choice was 'The Raid: Redemption's Gareth Evans; thinking the inclusion of brutal martial arts would be a nice change of pace for the series. However, personal idealizations and favored filmmakers should not color the estimations of the actual directors chosen for anticipated projects. In other words, I'm not going to say McQuarrie is the wrong person to direct 'Mission: Impossible 5' just because I wanted someone else who was never actually in the running. The problem is that McQuarrie has only directed two films, one which is not out yet and one I haven't seen: 'The Way of the Gun.' The only real knowledge I have of the man's work is as a writer on Bryan Singer's 'Valkyrie' and 'The Usual Suspects.' If Cruise AND Abrams want him for the gig, he must be showing them something that would qualify him for 'M:I 5,' but it's a choice that, by default, doesn't get me excited.

What do you guys think? Has the studio made the right choice here? Who might you have chosen to direct?

Source: Deadline