Brad Bird (“The Iron Giant”, “The Incredibles”, “Ratatouille”) has signed on to direct “Mission: Impossible IV” for Paramount, confirming long-running rumors.

Tom Cruise is returning in the role of Ethan Hunt, super-spy and agent of the Impossible Missions Force, and is producing with J.J. Abrams. No other casting news or plot details have been involved.

Originally slated for release May 27th, 2011, “Mission: Impossible IV” has been bumped back to a release date of December 16th 2011.

The “Mission: Impossible” franchise began in 1966 with the original TV series that featured the now-famous signature of the series, the voice recording detailing the mission that would explode when finishing.

Stay tuned to Shockya.com for more on “Mission: Impossible IV”.

By Costa Koutsoutis (Source: Empire)