It was just over the weekend that we heard Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer was in the running to direct mission: Impossible 4, and now he's already got competition-- THR is reporting that The Incredibles and Ratatouille director Brad Bird is also in the running.

The article also mentions Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright, but Bird seems to be the top contender. He's never directed a live-action feature, but has been developing a project about the 1960 San Francisco earthquake for a while now, and is likely inspired by Pixar colleague Andrew Stanton, who is hard at work on the live-action John Carter of Mars as we speak.

Picking a favorite Pixar film is like picking a favorite child, but it's indisputable that Bird's films have been among the best, and his sense of action and teamwork in The Incredibles would likely lend itself really, really well to a Mission: Impossible film. With J.J. Abrams on board as a producer, it's hard to imagine a more exciting team-- even if Tom Cruise comes as part of the package.