Mission: Impossible IV A Reboot With New Title, Cast Member

According to Variety, it seems that JJ Abrams' produced Mission: Impossible IV is taking the Spider-Man route with a reboot of the franchise. Tom Cruise will reprise the Ethan Hunt role but the rumors indicate the goal is to essentially pass the torch on to a new character and likely phase out Cruise's role in future installments. The person tapped to replace him is Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Avengers) who is said to have as much screen time as Cruise does.

Another odd rumor is they plan on copying The Dark Knight by choosing a title that references the franchise without using the name. The idea of passing the torch sounds like a good one but the risk of confusing audiences with a title that is unlikely to invoke the franchise seems silly. Anyone with even passing interest in Batman knows what "The Dark Knight" meant before the movie came out. Just like naming a Superman film "The Man of Steel" would work for the same reason. Mission: Impossible simply doesn't have that same built in recognition.