Mission: Impossible III

Mission: Impossible III
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	J. J. Abrams
Written by	Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci J. J. Abrams
Based on	Mission: Impossible by Bruce Geller
Produced by	Tom Cruise Paula Wagner
Starring	Tom Cruise Philip Seymour Hoffman Ving Rhames Billy Crudup Michelle Monaghan Jonathan Rhys Meyers Keri Russell Maggie Q Laurence Fishburne
Cinematography	Dan Mindel
Edited by	Mary Jo Markey Maryann Brandon
Music by	Michael Giacchino
Production company	Cruise/Wagner Productions
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	May 5, 2006 (2006-05-05)
Running time	126 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$150–186 million[2][3]
Box office	$399.4 million[4]

Mission: Impossible III (abbreviated as M:i:III) is a 2006 American action spy film directed by J. J. Abrams (in his feature film directorial debut), and produced by and starring Tom Cruise, from a screenplay by Abrams and the writing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. It is the sequel to Mission: Impossible (1996) and Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) and the third installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. It also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Crudup, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q and Laurence Fishburne. In Mission: Impossible III, retired Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agent and trainer Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is forced to return to active duty to capture elusive arms dealer Owen Davian (Hoffman).

Development for a third Mission: Impossible film began in 2002, with David Fincher slated to direct; he and his eventual replacement Joe Carnahan both departed by 2004, both citing creative differences. Abrams was hired months later at the behest of Cruise, who was a fan of Abrams' Alias (2001–2006), but this further delayed production on the film due to Abrams' contractual obligations for Alias and Lost (2004–2010), and caused prospective cast additions Kenneth Branagh, Carrie-Anne Moss and Scarlett Johansson to depart the film. Principal photography began in July 2005 and lasted until that October, with filming locations including Shanghai, Berlin, Rome, Los Angeles and the Vatican City.

Mission: Impossible III premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2006, and was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on May 5, 2006. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its pace and stunts, and was considered an improvement over its predecessors. The film grossed $398 million worldwide, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2006. The sequel, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, was released in 2011.