'Hurt Locker' Star Jeremy Renner May Take Over 'Mission: Impossible' Franchise

By Moviefone Editors Posted Nov 24th 2010 08:05AM

When Jeremy Renner was cast as Tom Cruise's co-star in 'Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol,' rumors spread that the franchise would continue afterward without Cruise, with Renner taking over as the series' lead.

Renner is best know for his Oscar-nominated performance in 'The Hurt Locker' and stole the show in Ben Affleck's recent hit 'The Town.' When he spoke to MTV News, Renner gave a slight nod to the rumor: "It's a franchise to potentially take over. I can't predict the future and what they want, but that's certainly the idea."

Renner is currently in Dubai filming 'Ghost Protocol.' He declined to say whether a hand-off, if any, is written into the script or if it's something that would become clear in a future sequel. "I can't really go into the details of the script, because that's still evolving," he said. "It's Tom's baby. He's the engine behind the thing. What happens after that, we'll see."

When asked about Cruise doing his own stunts -- like the one where he scaled the world's tallest building in Dubai -- Renner calls the work "insane" and confirmed Cruise is doing the majority of his own stunt work.

Renner revealed that he hasn't had a chance to do much acting for the movie yet. He has, however, been training in hand-to-hand combat, Muay Thai and kung fu and has even "learned how to take a guy out quickly." When asked what his most extreme stunt was, he answered, "everything." Get more at Moviefone.