Back in May, a report surfaced that Mission: Impossible 6 is already in development, which came two months before the latest installment of this lucrative franchise, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation hits theaters. With the release now just a few days away, Tom Cruise appeared on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, where he told host Jon Stewart that work has already begun on Mission: Impossible 6, with production set to begin next summer. Here's what the action star had to say during his appearance on the talk show.

"We're starting to work on [Mission: Impossible 6] now. We'll probably start shooting it next summer [in 2016]."

The news that Mission: Impossible 6 is already moving forward isn't terribly surprising at all. Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation is expected to take in between $50 million and $60 million at the box office when it opens in theaters this weekend. However, if production does in fact start next year, it would be fairly surprising, since there is typically a three to four-year gap between Mission: Impossible movies. It's possible that this sequel could be in theaters for a 2017 release, if everything goes according to plan.

The report from May revealed that Tom Cruise will return to star as Ethan Hunt and produce alongside David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and J.J. Abrams, with Don Granger and Matt Grimm serving as executive producers. No filmmakers are attached at this time, so we'll have to wait and see who the producers will bring in to write and direct this action movie. While it's possible that Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie could return to the helm, it would be the first time that a filmmaker has made more than one Mission: Impossible movie.

Tom Cruise is currently filming Mena, a crime thriller set during the 1980s drug war between the CIA and drug cartels, and after that, he is expected to reunite with The Last Samurai director Edward Zwick for Jack Reacher 2. The actor is also attached to return as Maverick in Top Gun 2, but the project doesn't have a director attached at this time. After Jack Reacher 2, it's certainly feasible that the actor could shoot Mission: Impossible 6, provided they find a director and screenwriter in the near future.

As of now, it remains unclear if Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation co-stars Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames will return for Mission: Impossible 6. Are you looking forward to this next big-screen action-adventure even before Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation hits theaters? Let us know what you think, and take a look at Tom Cruise's full video interview on The Daily Show.

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