Paula Patton joins Mission: Impossible 4

According to Deadline Paula Patton will be joining Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner in Mission: Impossible 4 (which won’t be called Mission: Impossible 4). Lauren German and Kristen Kreuk also tested, but Patton eventually won the role of a young operative who works with Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt character.

Paula Patton is best known for her roles in Deja Vu alongside Denzel Washington and more recently Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. The yet-to-be-titled Mission Impossible: 4 will be a reboot of sorts, and won’t pick up from where MI: 3 left off. Brad Bird’s film will only involve two agents played by Cruise and Renner, although Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg will be reprising their roles.

Filming will begin later this year in locations such as Vancouver, Prague, Dubai and the U.S. Paramount has set a December 2011 release date.