Before he was sidetracked by "Ratatouille", Bird began work on a film adaptation of James Dalessandro's novel "1906", which would be his first live-action project. In March 2008, Bird resumed work on the film, which is a co-production between Pixar and Warner Bros. The novel, narrated by reporter Annalisa Passarelli, examines police officers battling corruption in the government that causes the 1906 San Francisco earthquake to turn into such a disaster. The script was co-written by John Logan. Blogger Jim Hill suggested the film has been on hold due to Disney / Pixar and Warner Bros.' nervousness over the projected $200 million budget. In May 2010, with "1906" apparently still stalled, Bird signed on as the director of "", produced by Tom Cruise and J. J. Abrams. The collaboration was suggested by Tom Cruise following the release of "The Incredibles", and was created with the help of J.J. Abrams, who sent Bird a late night text message saying ""Mission?"". The film was an international hit, grossing almost $700 million.