Hollywood box-office giant Tom Cruise will come to Shanghai this November to shoot scenes for "Mission Impossible 3", which is being directed by "Alias" and "Lost" mastermind J. J. Abrams.

And Shanghai may well be in for a surprise if recent shooting in Rome is anything to go by - where a speedboat-themed action sequence created a sensation that shut down Rome's water traffic, with crowds of movie fans packing the Italian capital to catch a glimpse of the movie's all-star cast.

Following the Rome waterway location shooting, the cast will return to California for a short break before they head for Shanghai - where Paramount have revealed they would select a venue as a backdrop for the film's climax scene.

However, exactly where the Shanghai scene will be shot remains a mystery; Paramount has further fed the rumor-mill by disclosing that other Chinese cities would also be included in the filming itinerary for additional landscape shots.

Joining Cruise in the cast for the third in the Mission Impossible series are Keri Russell, Michelle Monaghan, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames and Hong Kong's actress Maggie Q.

Interest in the film has rocketed since Cruise "crazily" professed his love for Katie Holmes on the Oprah Winfrey show, by getting down on his knees and jumping on the studio couch.

(Shenzhen Daily July 21, 2005)