'Mission: Impossible 3' is Underway

Principal photography has begun in Rome.

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Wednesday, July 13th 2005 at 11:50 AM

Principal photography began yesterday, July 12th, on Mission: Impossible 3, directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Maggie Q, Michelle Monaghan, Keri Russell, and Laurence Fishburne. The action thriller will be shot on location in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Cruise and his partner, Paula Wagner, will produce for Cruise|Wagner Productions. Mission: Impossible 3 is scheduled for release May 5, 2006.

In the third installment of the Cruise|Wagner blockbuster Mission: Impossible franchise, which has grossed over one billion dollars worldwide to date, Cruise will be reprising his role as Special Agent Ethan Hunt.

Cruise kicks off Mission: Impossible 3 on the heels of his latest box office smash, War of the Worlds, which was directed by Steven Spielberg and opened worldwide June 29th to rave reviews. To date, War of the Worlds has grossed over US $365 million worldwide.

Tom Cruise has achieved unprecedented success as an actor and producer in a career spanning two decades. He is a three-time Academy Award® nominee whose films have earned in excess of six billion dollars worldwide.

Mission: Impossible 3 is directed by J.J. Abrams, produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner and executive produced by Stratton Leopold. The screenplay is written by Alex Kurtzman-Counter & Roberto Orci & J.J. Abrams, based on the television series created by Bruce Geller. The film is a Paramount Pictures Presentation. Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc.