Alec Baldwin is in talks to join Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible 5,” while “The White Queen” star Rebecca Ferguson is the choice for the film’s female lead, an individual familiar with the Paramount project has told TheWrap.
Paramount did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Ferguson is poised to land the same role that Jessica Chastain was once rumored for. Cruise has always had eclectic taste in his leading ladies, and Ferguson represents a fresh face who could add some mystery to the action-packed spy franchise.
Ferguson has been tipped to play a deadly femme fatale, while Baldwin is making a deal to play the head of the CIA.
Christopher McQuarrie is directing from a script by Drew Pearce, and Cruise is producing with J.J. Abrams and Skydance’s David Ellison. Production will start this fall and wrap up in early 2015.
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Having left behind his Emmy-winning role on “30 Rock,” Baldwin has had more time to devote to his movie career. He is in talks to join Will Smith in Peter Landesman’s Sony drama about football concussions, and he’ll soon be seen in Cameron Crowe’s untitled movie starring Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone. He’s repped by CAA.
Ferguson, who will soon be seen in “Hercules,” is likely to spark a feeding frenzy amongst U.S. talent agencies, as she has no American representation yet. She’s currently repped by Actors in Scandinavia and Tavistock Management.
Ferguson’s casting was first reported by Variety, while Deadline broke the news of Baldwin’s casting.