Christopher McQuarrie has been confirmed to direct 'Mission: Impossible 5'.

The 'Jack Reacher' director will reunite with Tom Cruise for the fifth instalment in the spy thriller franchise in which the actor will reprise his iconic Ethan Hunt role.

McQuarrie confirmed the news on his Twitter account on Monday (05.08.13), writing: ''Mission: Accepted.''

The writer-and-director has a long-lasting relationship with Cruise, having previously overseen the scripts for many of the actor's films.

The new movie follows 2011's critically-acclaimed 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol', which also featured Simon Pegg reprising his role as technology expert Benji, and newcomer Jeremy Renner as a deadly operative similar to Cruise's Hunt.

Cruise was due to star alongside Armie Hammer in a reboot of classic TV show 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' but dropped out of the role in order to prepare for 'Mission: Impossible 5', which is likely to hit cinemas in 2014.

It was recently reported that British actor James Corden had been talking with the actor-and-producer about a role in the film.

A source said: ''James is making huge strides in Hollywood. Brits are the flavour of the month too, so he's timed his foray into films perfectly. It's hard to believe he'd turn down the chance to star in 'Mission: Impossible 5'.''