Brad Bird talks shooting with IMAX cameras for Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol and breaking ground with first-ever early IMAX release

IMAX and Paramount Pictures have announced that Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience will begin previews in IMAX on Friday, December 16, 2011, five days in advance of the film’s North American wide release on December 21st. Domestically, the film will open in approximately 300 IMAX theatres and play through the film’s run at the box office.

Internationally, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol will open on approximately 200 IMAX screens starting December 14th, with several markets receiving an early window release in IMAX ahead of their wide release, including six days in the Netherlands, five days in the UK, three days in France and Poland, two days in Korea, Spain and Taiwan, and one day in various other countries worldwide.

In addition to the early window of engagement, the IMAX release of this fourth installment of Mission: Impossible features approximately 30 minutes of scenes shot with IMAX cameras. These specific sequences, including the unbelievable stunt performed by Tom Cruise as he scaled the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, will expand to fill the entire screen, exclusively in IMAX, and further immerse the audience in the explosive action and vast scope of the film.

“The edge-of-your-seat, heart-stopping suspense that Brad Bird masterfully delivers in this film is brought to life in IMAX, providing an up-close, you-are-there experience that is unparalleled,” said IMAX’s Greg Foster. “Advance screenings of select film sequences shot with IMAX cameras have received overwhelmingly positive reactions from audiences across the globe.”

The IMAX release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience through IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

This holiday season, two-time Academy Award-winner Brad Bird directs, with producers Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams, the action-packed spy adventure Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates “Ghost Protocol.” Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency’s name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know.

Tom Cruise returns in the starring role as Ethan Hunt and is joined by an international cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor and Lea Seydoux. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is directed by Brad Bird, in his live action film debut, and written by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. Cruise, who produces the Mission: Impossible films, is joined by producers J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Paul Schwake and Dana Goldberg are the executive producers.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience is scheduled to play day-and-date at select IMAX theatres across North America on December 16th, 2011. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience is scheduled to play day-and-date at select IMAX international theatres beginning on December 14th, 2011.

Check out an interview with Director Brad Bird on the early preview and filming with the IMAX camera, as well an image of the director with one of the state-of-the-art rigs, below.