That Mission: Impossible 4 movie we've been hearing rumors about for years is actually getting in gear. J.J. Abrams has once again recruited writers from one of his TV series to write a blockbuster, giving Josh Applebaum and Andrew Nemec the same treatment that made Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci household names (well, at least in movie geek households).

Variety writes that the film is aiming for a 2011 release, and Abrams and Tom Cruise are currently on board only as producers. Still, there are promises that Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt, will pop up onscreen at least once-- though who knows, he might be wearing a realistic Philip Seymour Hoffman mask that hides his identity entirely.

Applebaum and Nemec worked with Abrams as co-executive-producers on Alias, and have moved on to create the series October Road and Life on Mars. Yeah, neither of those series were exactly megahits, but they're giving it another shot this fall with the new ABC series Happy Town. Abrams said of the duo, "Their sense of balance between character and action is wonderful, which I know is hugely important to Tom as well. We're off to an exciting start, so, as usual, fingers crossed."