Mission: Impossible III
Carnahan quit in July 2004 due to a dispute over the movie's tone. J. J. Abrams was then offered the director's role by Tom Cruise after he had binge-watched the first two seasons of Alias. Abrams eventually signed on and production was delayed due to his contract obligations with Alias and Lost. Due to the delay, Branagh, Moss, and Johansson departed from the project. Ricky Gervais was cast as Benjamin Dunn, but also left the project due to scheduling conflicts with For Your Consideration (2006) as a result of production delays. On June 8, 2005, the movie was given the green light by Paramount Pictures after a new cast of actors was hired and the movie's budget was redeveloped, and Cruise took a major pay cut.