Simon Pegg in talks to return for Brad Bird-directed Mission: Impossible 4

Simon Pegg is in negotiations to reprise his role as lab geek Benji Dunn in Paramount’s Mission: Impossible 4, which will be directed by Brad Bird, according to Heat Vision. While not officially greenlit, the film is eyeing an early September start.

Brad Bird is known for animated fare, including Ratatouille, The Incredibles and animated cult classic The Iron Giant, so I’m not sure what prompted his name to be on the short list for M:I 4. But he’s a super-talented director, so I’m on board so far. If I had to guess, I’d say the choice is directly related to the story line for M:I 4, but I don’t have any knowledge of that for sure.

According to the report, Tom Cruise will return as agent Ethan Hunt (I guess Knight and Day did its thing overseas) in a story whose details are super-secret. Producer J.J. Abrams, who directed M:I 3, developed the story with the script’s writers Andre Nemec and Josh Appelbaum.