While Tom Cruise is certainly the true headliner of the Mission: Impossible franchise, he's not the only recurring star. He only had a cameo appearance at the end of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, but Ving Rhames is the only actor other than Cruise to appear in all four of the series' titles. We had very little doubt that he wouldn't be getting the call to return for the in-development Mission: Impossible 5, but now it seems the deal is officially sealed.
If Mission: Impossible 5 director Christopher McQuarrie's official Twitter feed can be considered a reliable source (I think it's safe), then it seems that Ving Rhames has officially come aboard for the sequel:
In the Mission: Impossible movies, Rhames is known for playing Luther Stickell, an IMF agent who works alongside Crusie's Ethan Hunt to help stop terrorists and global disasters. He's a particularly skilled hacker, which is typically how he is best utilized within a unit
Looking at the "cc's," the social media message also further confirms two more actors who will coming back to the Mission: Impossible series after previous tours of duty. Jeremy Renner's highly-skilled yet extremely cautious William Brandt is set to come back after the events of Ghost Protocol, and Simon Pegg will be back to play Benji Dunn a third time, first starring in Mission: Impossible III. It will be interesting to see how Mission: Impossible 5 handles the presence of both Luther and Benji, as the characters having overlapping skill sets when it comes to using computers. It could wind up creating a fun little conflict - provided that both actors are actually playing full supporting roles in the sequel and one isn't just being pinned to the sidelines.
Exciting as it is that Cruise, Rhames, Renner and Pegg are all coming back, there is still an important IMF agent missing: Paula Patton's Jane Carter. The end of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol suggested she would be around for another call of duty, and the actress has her own personal Twitter (albeit not a very active one), so why is she not listed here with the boys? She was a great presence in the last movie, and it would be a true shame for her to be the only one of the main stars not to come back.
Mission: Impossible 5 is still in pre-production, with a script written by Iron Man 3 co-writer Drew Pearce, and Paramount Pictures currently has the film dated to be released on December 25, 2015. It's been reported that actress Rebecca Ferguson has signed on in a key role, and Alec Baldwin may be coming aboard as well.
