First Look: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Paramount said the film franchise has grossed $ 2 billion worldwide.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol brings back Tom Cruise as agent Ethan Hunt in the upcoming action film. It is the fourth film in the Mission: Impossible series.

The trailer for the film, directed by Brad Bird, was released on June 29.

It features amazing stunts by Tom Cruise who scales the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.

The film has been written by JJ Abrams, Andre Nemec and Josh Appelbaum.

The film is produced by Abrams, Cruise and Paula Wagner. It will be released in the United States on December 16, 2011.

Jeremy Renner joins Cruise in the cast as fellow agent as Brandt. The film also stars Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, Josh Holloway as Trevor Hanaway and Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn.

Pictures of the set were leaked to the internet showing Cruise in a Russian officer disguise.

Filming took place in Dubai, Prague, Moscow, Mumbai and Vancouver.

The Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol also marks actor Anil Kapoor's debut in Hollywood.

Oscar-nominated actor Tom Cruise said earlier that he wanted the fourth installment of action blockbuster Mission Impossible to be known by its subtitle: 'Ghost Protocol.'

The Gulf Arab emirate is known for its futuristic skyline, including the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, where some scenes were shot.

Jeremy Renner was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 2009 war film 'The Hurt Locker.' Other actors include Simon Pegg and Paula Patton.

Animation film director Brad Bird won Academy Awards for the 2004 film 'The Incredibles' and 'Ratatouille,' released in 2007.

Cruise is producing the film with Abrams who last teamed up with the actor in 2006 for 'Mission: Impossible III'.

The role of super agent Ethan Hunt is to battle bad guys and save the world from evil.

IMAX Corporation announced an agreement with Paramount Pictures to release four of the studio's tentpole releases in 2011: Super 8, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. Each film will open day-and-date in IMAX theaters worldwide.

The Mission: Impossible franchise features scenes shot with IMAX cameras.