Could Jack Reacher turn out better than expected? According to an update from Paramount, perhaps this is the case. As we know, Christopher McQuarrie‘s Tom Cruise-led action thriller  will ride into theaters next month, alongside a competitive marketplace, but now the studio may hand the keys to one of their biggest franchises over to The Usual Suspects writer.

According to Deadline, the studio, along with Cruise and producer J.J. Abrams, want McQuarrie to helm the fifth iteration of their spy franchise Mission: Impossible. Coming off a series-best in both box office and quality with last year’s Ghost Protocol, nothing has been signed yet and a script still has to be written, but McQuarrie is their man for the job if all goes according to plan.

The Ethan Hunt franchise is known for a turnover of directors — after Brian De Palma launched the series, we’ve gotten films from John Woo, J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird. McQuarrie is an interesting choice, but we’ll have to wait and see if has the action chops this December. Paramount is already eyeing his Jack Reacher as a franchise, so if it becomes successful, McQuarrie could be a very busy man. In other Cruise news, the release date of his wild-looking All You Need to Kill has been moved from March 14th, 2014 to March 7th, 2014, so adjust those long-lead calendars.

Do you want to see McQuarrie direct the next Mission: Impossible?