Paula Patton is about to double her gun count, after Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol only had her running solo (see above for photographic proof). Deadline reports that she will be playing Denzel Washington‘s love interest in the action re-team for Contraband director Baltasar Kormakur and star Mark Wahlberg.

Previously looking to be a directing gig for David O. Russell, the film is based on Steven Grant and Mat Santolouco‘s novel. Having recently watched Contraband, it actually pulled off the handheld style that Washington’s last action film Safe House tried so hard to capture, so I look forward to Kormakur’s follow-up.

And aside from Gina Carano in Haywire, Patton delivered one of the most kick-ass female action performances in quite some time alongside Ethan Hunt. Let’s hope she is actually given something to do here in her reunion with Washington after 2006′s Deja Vu, but I fear that we may be hoping for too much being relegated to the “love interest” role. Check out a detailed synopsis below.

A pulp story about cops and thieves and the men that are something in between. Trench has targeted a local bank to rob, and asked Steadman in on the job. Trench figures it’s a great way to score — considering it’s a cover for mob money. They’ll be thieves ripping off thieves. But what Steadman doesn’t know is that Trench is a DEA agent. And what Trench doesn’t know is that Steadman’s a Naval Intelligence officer. They’re both cops! And neither one knows that they’re not robbing the mob, they’ve been set up to steal $50 million from the CIA!

Are you looking forward to seeing Patton (hopefully) get back to some action?