Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Updated: 12/10/2025, 5:45:37 PM Wikipedia source
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a 2011 American action spy film directed by Brad Bird (in his live-action directorial debut) from a screenplay by the writing team of Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, who also serve as co-producers. Produced by Tom Cruise, J. J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk, it is the sequel to Mission: Impossible III (2006) and the fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. The film stars Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton, with Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor, and Léa Seydoux in supporting roles. In the film, the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) is shut down after being publicly implicated in a bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team to go without their usual resources or backup in a life-threatening effort to clear their names. Development for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol began in August 2009, when Appelbaum and Nemec were hired to write the screenplay (which was later rewritten by eventual series director and writer Christopher McQuarrie). Cruise's return was confirmed by March 2010 after Bird was announced to direct the film, replacing Abrams (who directed the predecessor), who stayed on this film as a producer. The film was officially titled in October 2010, after which, principal photography took place and lasted until March 2011, with filming locations including Bangalore, Mumbai, Budapest, Moscow, Dubai, and Canadian Motion Picture Park Studios in Vancouver. Like previous entries in the franchise, the cast, most notably Cruise, completed most of their own stunts, while parts of the film were shot in IMAX. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival on December 7, 2011, and was released in IMAX and select large-format theaters on December 16, before being theatrically released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on December 21. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the action sequences, Cruise's performance, and Bird's direction. It grossed $694.7 million worldwide, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2011, as well as the highest-grossing film in the franchise and the highest-grossing film starring Cruise until it was surpassed by Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018). The film was followed by Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in 2015.
Infobox
Directed by
Brad Bird
Written by
mw- Josh Appelbaum André Nemec
Based on
Mission: Impossibleby Bruce Geller
Produced by
Tom Cruise J. J. Abrams Bryan Burk
Starring
Tom Cruise Jeremy Renner Simon Pegg Paula Patton
Cinematography
Robert Elswit
Edited by
Paul Hirsch
Music by
Michael Giacchino[a]
Productioncompanies
Paramount Pictures Skydance Productions Bad Robot TC Productions
Distributed by
Paramount Pictures
Release dates
December 7, 2011 (2011-12-07) (DIFF) December 16, 2011 (2011-12-16) (United States)
Running time
133 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$145 million
Box office
$694.7 million
Tables
mw- Accolades received by Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol · Reception › Accolades
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards
Award
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards
Date of ceremony
January 10, 2012
Category
Kick Ass Award for Best Female Action Star
Recipient(s)
Paula Patton
Result
Nominated
Golden Reel Awards
Golden Reel Awards
Award
Golden Reel Awards
Date of ceremony
February 19, 2012
Category
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley for Feature Film
Recipient(s)
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Result
Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards
Golden Trailer Awards
Award
Golden Trailer Awards
Date of ceremony
May 31, 2012
Category
Best Action TV Spot
Recipient(s)
"Trailer 1" (AV Squad)
Result
Nominated
Best Action TV Spot
Best Action TV Spot
Award
Best Action TV Spot
Date of ceremony
"Harder" (AV Squad)
Category
Nominated
Best Graphics in a TV Spot
Best Graphics in a TV Spot
Award
Best Graphics in a TV Spot
Date of ceremony
"Masthead:15" (AV Squad)
Category
Nominated
May 6, 2015
May 6, 2015
Award
May 6, 2015
Date of ceremony
Most Original TV Spot
Category
"Prison Mission" (n87 Creative)
Recipient(s)
Nominated
June 29, 2023
June 29, 2023
Award
June 29, 2023
Date of ceremony
Most Original TV Spot (for a Feature Film)
Category
Mission: Impossible – Christmas Protocol (Creative EMEAA)
Recipient(s)
Nominated
International Film Music Critics Association Awards
International Film Music Critics Association Awards
Award
International Film Music Critics Association Awards
Date of ceremony
February 23, 2012
Category
Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
Recipient(s)
Michael Giacchino
Result
Nominated
MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Awards
Award
MTV Movie Awards
Date of ceremony
June 3, 2012
Category
Best Fight
Recipient(s)
Tom Cruise vs. Michael Nyqvist
Result
Nominated
Best Gut-Wrenching Performance
Best Gut-Wrenching Performance
Award
Best Gut-Wrenching Performance
Date of ceremony
Tom Cruise
Category
Nominated
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Award
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Date of ceremony
March 31, 2012
Category
Favorite Buttkicker
Recipient(s)
Tom Cruise
Result
Nominated
Saturn Awards
Saturn Awards
Award
Saturn Awards
Date of ceremony
July 26, 2012
Category
Best Action or Adventure Film
Recipient(s)
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Result
Won
Best Director
Best Director
Award
Best Director
Date of ceremony
Brad Bird
Category
Nominated
Best Actor
Best Actor
Award
Best Actor
Date of ceremony
Tom Cruise
Category
Nominated
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Award
Best Supporting Actress
Date of ceremony
Paula Patton
Category
Nominated
Best Music
Best Music
Award
Best Music
Date of ceremony
Michael Giacchino
Category
Nominated
Best Editing
Best Editing
Award
Best Editing
Date of ceremony
Paul Hirsch
Category
Won
Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
Award
Teen Choice Awards
Date of ceremony
July 22, 2012
Category
Choice Movie: Action
Recipient(s)
Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Result
Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: Action
Choice Movie Actor: Action
Award
Choice Movie Actor: Action
Date of ceremony
Tom Cruise
Category
Nominated
Choice Movie Actress: Action
Choice Movie Actress: Action
Award
Choice Movie Actress: Action
Date of ceremony
Paula Patton
Category
Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards
Visual Effects Society Awards
Award
Visual Effects Society Awards
Date of ceremony
February 7, 2012
Category
Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture
Recipient(s)
John Goodson, Paul Francis Russell, and Victor Schutz
Result
Nominated
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 10, 2012 | Kick Ass Award for Best Female Action Star | Paula Patton | Nominated | |
| Golden Reel Awards | February 19, 2012 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley for Feature Film | Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Nominated | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | May 31, 2012 | Best Action TV Spot | "Trailer 1" (AV Squad) | Nominated | |
| Best Action TV Spot | "Harder" (AV Squad) | Nominated | |||
| Best Graphics in a TV Spot | "Masthead:15" (AV Squad) | Nominated | |||
| May 6, 2015 | Most Original TV Spot | "Prison Mission" (n87 Creative) | Nominated | ||
| June 29, 2023 | Most Original TV Spot (for a Feature Film) | Mission: Impossible – Christmas Protocol (Creative EMEAA) | Nominated | ||
| International Film Music Critics Association Awards | February 23, 2012 | Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film | Michael Giacchino | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie Awards | June 3, 2012 | Best Fight | Tom Cruise vs. Michael Nyqvist | Nominated | |
| Best Gut-Wrenching Performance | Tom Cruise | Nominated | |||
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | March 31, 2012 | Favorite Buttkicker | Tom Cruise | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | July 26, 2012 | Best Action or Adventure Film | Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Won | |
| Best Director | Brad Bird | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Tom Cruise | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Paula Patton | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Michael Giacchino | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Paul Hirsch | Won | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | July 22, 2012 | Choice Movie: Action | Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Nominated | |
| Choice Movie Actor: Action | Tom Cruise | Nominated | |||
| Choice Movie Actress: Action | Paula Patton | Nominated | |||
| Visual Effects Society Awards | February 7, 2012 | Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture | John Goodson, Paul Francis Russell, and Victor Schutz | Nominated |
References
- Mission: Impossible Theme composed by Lalo Schifrin
- As depicted in Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- Attributed to multiple references:
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