'Mission Impossible 5' Tom Cruise: Actor Signs On For Sequel; Who Will Direct?

It wasn't that impossible: 2011's "M:I Ghost Protocol" was his highest grossing film ever, earning close to $700 million in the box office worldwide, so there was no doubt Tom Cruise would sign for the role of Ethan Hunt again.

Cruise will also be producing the film, which still has no director. No one has been formally named, but there's been a lot of talk that "Jack Reacher" writer-director Christopher McQuarrie is at the top of the list.

Even though the Cruise-McQuarrie formula didn't work too well for "Jack Reacher," chances are the "Mission Impossible" franchise will be a reliable source for the duo to try achieving success together one more time.

As for Cruise alone, the newly 50-year-old actor hasn't let his age stand in his way, and he's obviously keeping busy since we've seen him on the big screen a few times with box office hits such as "Oblivion," and in not-so-praised-performances like his "Rock of Ages" one.

People seem forever to be debating whether Cruise still has it. While it's unclear what will happen to that "Top Gun" sequel that Cruise and Tony Scott were working on when the director died tragically, he is positioned to continue the "M:I" franchise and he's starring with Armie Hammer in the Guy Ritchie-directed adaptation of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E, which the film's backers at Warner Bros hope will launch another franchise.