Alec Baldwin to Join MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 5

Alec Baldwin is in negotiations with Paramount Pictures to join Tom Cruise in the Christopher McQuarrie-directed movie Mission: Impossible 5.

Variety says that Baldwin’s character “would be a high-ranking CIA officer who oversee [sic] Cruise’s division, similar to the role Lawrence Fishburne had in Mission: Impossible III.”

The studio has been on the hunt for a female lead after Jessica Chastainpassed on the role. According to the site, the studio is looking at newcomer Rebecca Ferguson to fill the part. Apparently she will play some kind of assassin. The actress is mostly know for her role of Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth Woodville) in The White Queen.

The movie is scheduled to open in theaters on Christmas Day 2015.