After pairing with "Lost" star Evangeline Lilly in last year's Best Picture winner "The Hurt Locker," Jeremy Renner will be teaming up with yet another island castaway, as Josh Holloway is in final negotiations to join the cast of Paramount's "Mission: Impossible 4," his publicist has confirmed to TheWrap.
While the studio is keeping the specifics of the role under wraps, Holloway will play a member of Tom Cruise's Impossible Missions Force in the Brad Bird-directed sequel.
Joining Renner and Holloway on Cruise's spy squad will be fellow newcomer Paula Patton and returning veterans Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg.
Vladimir Mashkov has also been cast as a Russian agent, while Michael Nyqvist will serve as the film's primary villain.
Holloway spent six seasons crafting his lovable conman Sawyer on ABC's "Lost." Sawyer grew to become one of my favorite characters as the writers allowed Holloway to show off his range, and like Matthew Fox, I think he has a really bright future ahead of him on the big screen.
Lucky for him, "Mission: Impossible" is the perfect project to start his ascent with. A star vehicle might've been too much, too soon, but "Mission" won't put any pressure on him and its guaranteed success will likely pave the way for bigger parts down the line, plus he'll again be surrounded by an impressive ensemble cast whom he'll be able to play off of. It seems like a win-win to Deal Central.
The 41-year-old heartthrob has previously been offered roles in a number of studio movies, but was unable to explore those opportunities due to the show's intense production schedule in Hawaii. However, he did find the time to appear alongside fellow TV stars Jon Cryer and Chevy Chase in the indie dramedy "Stay Cool."
Cruise is producing "Mission: Impossible 4" with longtime business partner Paula Wagner, as well as J.J. Abrams (exec producer of "Lost"), who worked on the story with screenwriters Andre Nemec and Josh Applebaum.
With production scheduled to begin later this fall in Vancouver, Prague and Dubai, Paramount's not-so-impossible mission is to get the film into theaters next December.
Holloway is represented by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and his casting was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
