Paramount Pictures announced today that it is making “Mission Impossible IV.” The film, which will be produced by Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams, will star Cruise and be released Memorial Day weekend 2011. Screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec (both of whom worked on Abrams' "Alias") are attached to write the script from an original idea by Cruise and Abrams.
 A director has not yet been chosen, but here's hoping it's Abrams, who directed the franchise's third installment and did a great job with last year's "Star Trek." 

In other Hollywood news, Deadline Hollywood is reporting "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan has pitched Warner Bros. an idea for a third "Batman" film and has started writing the script with his brother, Jonathan Nolan, and David S. Goyer. Warner Bros. will release Christopher Nolan's "Inception" this July, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The studio has also asked him to serve as an advisor on the next "Superman" movie, which would not be a follow-up to "Superman Returns."

This is wonderful news. I already can't wait for Nolan's "Dark Knight" follow-up, as I thought that film was the best movie of 2008. Here's hoping he can save the "Superman" series as well; not that Bryan Singer necessarily ruined it in 2006 with "Superman Returns," but it failed to provide the "jolt" the studio was looking for to relaunch the franchise.

James Cameron has done it again.

"Avatar" is now the highest grossing domestic film of all-time, as it has earned $601.1 million in 47 days to surpass Cameron's "Titanic" and take the top spot. By comparison, "Titanic" (which obviously didn't benefit from hiked-up 3-D admission prices), earned $600.8 million in 252 days. Box Office Mojo has a more detailed breakdown here.        

Like him or hate him, think he's an arrogant tyrant or darn good filmmaker (or both), you have to respect what Cameron has accomplished. Sure, his dialogue is terrible, but his ability as a director to build and maintain suspense is truly admirable. And visually, it's not an exaggeration to say "Titanic" was impressive and "Avatar" is truly unlike anything we've seen before.

The above photo shows Cameron on the "Avatar" set with one of his inventions for the film, a virtual camera. This camera gave him the unprecedented ability to see an actor's CG character - and the CG environments - in the camera. For example, Sam Worthington (Jake) and Zoe Saldana (Neytiri) may have been wearing body suits while standing against a green screen, but Cameron was able to see Pandora and ten-foot tall Na'vi when looking through the camera. Very cool stuff indeed.

"Tron" has gone from this

To this.

Add it to the list of '80s classics that have been bastardized by Hollywood remakes. Maybe it will be good, but even the remake of "Fame" has doubts about this one. The film, which will be in 3-D, opens Dec. 17, 2010. 

Marc Webb, the director of "(500) Days of Summer" and zero other feature-length films, has been tapped to direct the next "Spider-Man" film, Sony Pictures announced today.

Against from the obvious questions in handing the keys to the lucrative franchise to someone with so little experience, you have to wonder where the creators are taking the story. Tobey Maguire is not playing Peter Parker, and Sam Raimi (who directed the prior three films) is not involved. Rumors have the story set while Peter is still in high school, so yes, it's sort of a prequel for a franchise that seems to be heading backwards.

Production will begin later this year, with the movie scheduled to hit theaters summer 2012. Casting announcements are expected soon. I haven't loved the recent trilogy as much as some, but I'm sure I speak for many when I say this movie better not suck.

The Library of Congress' National Film Registry has added the following 25 titles to its collection. These films are now earmarked for preservation and, if necessary, restoration.

And if you haven't heard of any/most of them, don't feel bad: I have a degree in Film History and I have no idea what most of these are.

Films Selected to the 2009 National Film Registry:

1) Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

2) The Exiles (1961)