'Mission Impossible 5' Release Date, Cast & Trailer: Movie to Premiere Earlier?

Get ready to watch Ethan Hunt on the big screen earlier than expected. The release date of the upcoming fifth "Mission Impossible" movie has been moved to July 31, 2015 from its original Christmas Day schedule, Coming Soon reported.

Screen Rant speculates that the shift in the schedule has something to do with the upcoming "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" movie which is set for December 18. It noted that almost all movies previously scheduled within that time frame have already moved their premiere dates. Aside from "Mission Impossible 5," movies "Warcraft" and "Kung Fu Panda 3" have already been moved to a much later date. This leaves Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's "Sisters" on a box office showdown with "Star Wars."

Poehler said they will not back down from "Star Wars." She was quoted in an Entertainment Weekly report saying, "We said we'd only do the movie if it opened against Star Wars...We're not scared. It's what gets us up in the morning: We are going to f---ing crush Star Wars."

With its new July release date, "Mission Impossible 5" will battle against boxing drama "Southpaw" which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker, Naomie Harris, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Rita Ora and Victor Ortiz; "Point Break" remake which stars Ray Winstone, Teresa Palmer, Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey; and "Selfless" which stars Ryan Reynolds, Ben Kingsley, and Victor Garber; which are all expected to premiere on that same time frame.

This new premiere date, notes Screen Rant, will quite be good for the film as it is two weeks after Marvel's much-awaited movie "Ant-man." However, this could mean that Paramount has to speed up the promotions for the film as well as its post-production.

The new release date, reports Hollywood Reporter, also keeps the movie from the release of the James Bond sequel "Spectre" which is expected to hit theaters on November 6.

Tom Cruise returns in the movie as Ethan Hunt. The movie cast list also includes Alec Baldwin, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames. It is directed by Christopher McQuarrie, known for the movie "Jack Reacher." The screenplay is by Drew Pearce and Will Staples. Other details about the film have not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, "Monster Trucks," which is also a film under Paramount set for release this May 29, has been moved to the original premiere date of "Mission: Impossible 5."

Tom Cruise and co-actor Simon Pegg were spotted in London shooting some scenes for the upcoming movie. Check it out at the Daily Mail. According to the report, some scenes from the film were also shot in Austria, Monaco, and Morocco.

The previous MI movie, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," which was released in December 2011 earned over $700 million worldwide.