Tom Cruise brings 'Ghost Protocol' to Tokyo [PHOTOS]

Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible franchise are back.

On Thursday, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and company held a special screening of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in Tokyo, Japan.

Cruise was joined by co-star Paula Patton (Idlewild, Precious), director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) and producer Bryan Burk (Cloverfield, Super 8) at the festivities.

Ghost Protocol is the fourth installment of the Mission: Impossible film series. The film, also starring Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, Tom Wilkinson and Simon Pegg, is the first M:I film to come out in five years.

Mission: Impossible III grossed more than $397 million worldwide in 2006. To date, Mission: Impossible II remains the highest grossing film of the series, with more than $546 million in international ticket sales.

In Ghost Protocol, co-produced by Cruise and J.J. Abrams, Ethan Hunt vows to save the world again as he leads an undercover mission in Moscow.

Cruise, 49, has been making big movie headlines as of late. In addition to the hype surrounding Ghost Protocol, Cruise is close to signing a deal to make All you Need Is Kill, a big screen adaptation of the popular Japanese novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Deadline reports.

In 2012, Cruise will play the role of Stacee Jaxx, one of many characters in the film adaptation of Rock of Ages, the popular Broadway musical and 2011 video game of the same name. Alec Baldwin, Julianne Hough, Catherine Zeta-Jones and other stars are set to appear in the film, directed by Adam Shankman.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol opens in theaters on Dec. 21. Scroll down for photos from the film's Tokyo premiere.