Tom Cruise doesn't have a director till next year for Mission: Impossible 3!

After original director David Fincher (Se7en) opted out to do another movie, and Joe Carnahan (Narc) ran into 'creative differences' with the producers, Cruise roped in J J Abrams.

Abrams (Alias, which is seen on the AXN channel in India), who is under contract with Alias and a new ABC series, Lost, will be free to shoot for M:I-3 only next July.

Several locations in Europe were earmarked by Cruise and his partner Paula Wagner for M:I-3, in which the superstar teams up with Kenneth Branagh, Scarlett Johansson, Carrie-Anne Moss and Ving Rhames.

Meanwhile, Cruise will work on Steven Spielberg's War Of The Worlds. Adapted from H G Wells' famous novel about a Martian invasion of Earth, shooting for War will begin in November.

Early word on the War script is it's supposed to be nothing short of brilliant.

May we add that Spielberg is usually first class when he deals with extraterrestrial themes -- Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. War is bound to be in the same league.