Russell joins the big leagues in MI:3 and Burton goes back to animation.

Felicity’s Russell Joins Mission Impossible III Cast

Keri Russell has joined the cast of Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible 3”, reuniting the actor with director J.J. Abrams, whose Felicity TV show first brought Russell widespread acclaim, Variety reported. Russell will portray a trainee agent mentored by Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt character in the movie, which is set to begin shooting July 18 in Italy. Russell steps into the role that had been slated for Scarlett Johansson before the film was delayed and scheduling conflicts forced Johansson to drop out.

Paramount officially gave the green light to M:I 3 last week. Cruise and his partner Paula Wagner are producing.

Russell joins a cast that includes Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the trade paper reported.

Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride” Site Rises

In the stop-motion animated film, opening September 23, Johnny Depp voices Victor who travels to the underworld for a quickie wedding to a mysterious corpse bride (Helena Bonham Carter) while his living wife (Emily Watson) pines for his return.

Albert Finney, Richard Grant, Joanna Lumley and Christopher Lee also voice the Warner Bros. release.

Source: Variety & SciFi Wire