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Brad Bird has been reported on the run to be the helmer for "Mission: Impossible IV". Though the deal has not been sealed yet, Josh Applebaum has expressed his interest to work together with the acclaimed animated movie director. "It would be the most incredible thing ever," the scribe said as quoted by 411mania on the possibility of Brad taking on the directing duty.

"We would be crazy to not be using Brad's sensibilities to kind of enrich the script," he, moreover, speculated on what will happen if "The Incredibles" director indeed signs up for the action movie. "We're all just huge fans of his and we're so excited about getting him into the collaborative process because his input and his ideas I think will only make this just more fun and enjoyable and help take it to another level."

Asked whether the fourth "Mission: Impossible" film will be a true sequel, Josh elaborated, "Tom [Cruise] and J.J. [Abrams] were very much... They get the thing that the first one felt like a Brian De Palma movie, the second one felt like a John Woo movie, the third like a J.J. Abrams movie. This will absolutely feel like it's own kind of entity." He further promised, "They'll be all the things you love from 'Mission: Impossible' in it, but it'll have its own sensibility, and certainly with whatever director we assign to it, that person will be somebody that will be able to create his own sort of spin and angle on what Mission: Impossible is, while still staying very true to the genre and the franchise."

Though Tom Cruise is set to reprise his role as Ethan Hunt, Josh was forced to contemplate what will happen to the franchise if the actor does not return to the next installment. "There was a lot of talk in the press that Tom might not do it. I think all along we knew all along that Tom is... There's no 'Mission: Impossible' without Ethan Hunt," he claimed. As for whether or not there will be more original characters return to the fourth film, the filmmaker simply said, "You might."

Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec have been hired to pen the script for "Mission: Impossible IV", but there is still no word on the storyline. Beside Tom Cruise, Paramount Pictures has not tapped any actor to join the cast ensemble. While many things have not been settled yet, the movie is planned to kick off principal photography in summer this year for Memorial Day weekend release on May 27, 2011.