Company 3 founder Stefan Sonnenfeld has signed a first-look producing deal at Paramount. Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman made the announcement Tuesday.

A fixture of the post-production field, Sonnenfeld has worked on a number of Paramount tentpoles, including the “Transformers” films, “Star Trek,” "Watchmen" and “Cloverfield," plus films such as “Alice In Wonderland,” the “Pirates of the Carribean” movies and “300.” Founded in 1997, Company 3 tackles feature and commercial post-production and counts Nike, Microsoft, Coors, UPS and Nissan as clients.

Still an active colorist, Sonnenfeld is next prepping for the third “Transformers” film at Paramount and the fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” film at Disney.

“Stefan is uniquely positioned to help us find and develop emerging voices in other mediums, including those in the advertising and music video world, who can make the leap into features," said Goodman.

Ethan Hunt has just picked up a new Mission: Impossible team member -- and he’s got a speciality in bombs.

Jeremy Renner, who starred as Sergeant First Class William James in “The Hurt Locker,” has been cast opposite Tom Cruise in the next installment of Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible” franchise, which is aiming for a Dec. 16, 2011 release date. Brad Bird is directing a script from Josh Applebaum and André Nemec, with shooting expected to begin in the fall. Skydance Prods. is co-financing the project.

Repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment, Renner has been on a tear since his Oscar nomination for “Locker” earlier this year. Marvel recently cast him as Hawkeye in its 2012 release, “The Avengers,” which is supposed to start shooting in February, and Paul Thomas Anderson wants him for his next film, “The Master.”

Paramount Pictures has pre-emptively snatched up an original pitch from rookie screenwriters Willie Block and Jake Emanuel.

The high-concept action-adventure story mixes original ideas with the framework of the traditional Hunchback of Notre Dame story. Though said to be in the vein of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, its plotline is being kept secret by producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian of Di Bonaventura Pictures, where the concept was originally hatched.

Exec Edward Fee is overseeing for the company, which is set up at Paramount.

Repped by CAA and Energy Entertainment, Block and Emanuel first got career traction off their action-comedy spec “Fuck You I Win,” which had been circulating around town.

Di Bonaventura Pictures most recently produced "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." The company has "Salt" releasing July 23 through Columbia and "Red" in October via Summit.

After a few clumsy missteps, Paramount’s “Footloose” remake is finally dancing toward production. Newcomer Kenny Wormald, who recently toured with Justin Timberlake, has been handed the dancing shoes of the lead, Ren, which Kevin Bacon made famous in the 1984 original. Dennis Quaid has also come aboard to play Reverend Moore, the role John Lithgow played in the original, and Miles Teller has nabbed the role of Willard, originally played by the late Chris Penn. “Dancing With the Stars” performer Julianne Hough had already been cast in the Lori Singer role of Ariel. The project, which is being written and directed by Craig Brewer, now has an April 1, 2011 release date.

On the verge of her 18th birthday, Miley Cyrus may be taking a step into the darkness. The Disney princess is attached to star in an adaptation of Lisa McMann’s young-adult paranormal thriller novel “Wake” for Paramount Pictures and MTV Films, which are picking up film rights to the property. “Disturbia” co-writer Christopher Landon will adapt the book for the screen. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Lindsay Williams of The Gotham Group (“The Spiderwick Chronicles”) are producing along with Jodi Zuckerman and Tish Cyrus of Hope Town Entertainment and Steven Schneider and Jason Blum (“Paranormal Activity”). The producer deals are still being finalized. Paramount exec Ashley Brucks is overseeing for the studio, and Gotham’s Eddie Gamarra will be an executive producer.

Paramount sent out a cheeky press release today declaring its intention to make a full-length feature out of the Les Grossman character from "Tropic Thunder." Les has been back in the public eye lately, promoting, producing and performing on the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night. And while it's a great character, and Cruise is totally committed and hilarious in the role, it's nearly impossible to see this as a feature-length conceit focused on him. Les works in short, infrequent bursts, even though he would suggest that I'm a godd&%n $*#&&-sucking &@#ftin for implying that he couldn't cut it as the lead. Just imagine following Les for a whole movie. How would that not get tired inside of five minutes? I mean, I adore "The Big Lebowski," but there's no way I could sit through 90 minutes of Walter Sobchak. And given all of Cruise's choices, why would he commit to topline a secondary character spinoff from a Ben Stiller comedy? Which is something he hasn't done, by the way, since "Risky Business." (No, I don't consider "Jerry Maguire" foremost a comedy.) It seems like the best approach would be to play in the same satiric sandbox of lampooning Hollywood and merely bring Grossman back in his secondary role. I would like to see Robert Downey Jr. back as Kirk Lazarus. In the face of all this, Paramount and MTV Films have hired the WME-repped Michael Bacall (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) to write the script. Cruise, Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld of Red Hour Films are producing and "have secured the life rights to Grossman." Stiller quotes Grossman as saying he plans to "f**king kill the sh*t out of this movie and make 'Citizen f**king Kane' look like a piece of crap home movie by the time we are done."

Paramount announced this morning that it is moving its release of "Dinner for Schmucks" back a week, from July 23 to July 30. This seems like a smart move. Columbia's Angelina Jolie action film "Salt" opens July 23, and it's likely to include a lot of potential "Schmucks" crossover audience (i.e. younger males). The weekend of July 30, by contrast, puts it up against the tearjerker "Charlie St. Cloud" (Universal), the indie crime drama "Twelve" (Hannover House) and the family sequel "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" (Warner Bros.). Which leaves a lot of room for moviegoers, particularly males, looking for a straight-up comedy. It will also dampen the blow a bit when receipts for "Schmucks" come in lower than the studio would like, since a contrast with "Salt's" would likely be much greater. The new date also gives "Schmucks" another week of padding after the release of Chris Nolan's "Inception" juggernaut, which seems destined for major boxoffice, and more time to tweak the thus-far ineffective marketing campaign.

Paramount exec Marc Evans has been promoted to president of production, Paramount Pictures, reporting to Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman. Evans, who is being upped from exec vp of production, joined the company in 2003 as vp of production. He oversaw the "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" as well as the J.J. Abrams-directed "Mission: Impossible III" and "Star Trek." His Abrams association continues with his shepherding "Morning Glory," "Super 8" and the fourth "Mission: Impossible" installment. He is also supervising "Transformers 3," "Rango" and "The Last Airbender," the latter which opens in July. Said Goodman: "His track record demonstrates his great ability to juggle highly complex productions with complete grace and ease. He has terrific relationships, a passion for filmmakers, and a great work ethic." Before working at Paramount, Evans served time at Laura Ziskin Productions and Industry Entertainment. He also acted as program director of the Chicago International Film Festival for five years.

So much for any mystery surrounding Jack Bender’s future after “Lost.” First, the director/executive producer, who helmed the “Lost” finale, signed on to perform the same duties on Syfy’s new “Alphas” pilot. And now a TV deal with “Lost” production mastermind Bad Robot is in the offing. The one-year first-look development deal would have Bender developing projects and helming a pilot for Warner Bros. Television next spring. While several ideas are being discussed, none has yet been locked down. Bad Robot’s production deals are with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. TV, which is producing the forthcoming NBC series “Undercovers” and Bad Robot’s Fox creeper “Fringe,” both co-created by BR’s J.J. Abrams. The benefit of locking Bender into the WBTV deal is that it frees him to work on a potential Paramount feature, as well. Insiders say that is a likely scenario. [UPDATE, 6/3, 11 am: It looks like Bender is in fact formalizing a similar one-year feature deal with Bad Robot to develop and direct a film for Paramount. It will either be an original Bender idea or a project already in the BR cache (some to consider include the top-secret Travis Beacham script, "Mystery on Fifth Avenue," the untitled earthquake project and the fact-based diamond heist story that Phil Alden Robinson just came on to write).] Bender has been part of the Bad Robot team for more than a decade, having directed episodes of the Abrams-created series “Felicity” and “Alias.” The DGA- and Emmy-nominated director has also helmed episodes of “The Sopranos,” “Judging Amy,” “Profiler,” “The Paper Chase” and “Eight Is Enough.” On the feature side, Bender, who is repped by UTA and Myman Abell, directed “Child’s Play 3.”

Are you ready to kick off your Sunday shoes? Paramount and the producers of the "Footloose" remake, to be directed this summer by Craig Brewer, are actively casting males 18 or older to play high school seniors. The notice reads:

MUST HAVE NATURAL RHYTHM AND BE COMFORTABLE DANCING. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A TRAINED DANCER BUT A QUICK LEARNER.

So get out the flip cam, throw on the Loggins and lose your blues before June 9. In these recessionary times, it shouldn't be too hard to find an abandoned factory to dance around in.

Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux have been hired to rework the screenplay for the Paramount comedy “The Day I Turned Uncool.” At the same time, the siblings have joined the writing staff of the animated Fox series “Bob’s Burgers,” which will debut later this year. Paramount exec Liz Raposo is overseeing “Uncool,” an adaptation of Dan Zevin’s comic memoir “The Day I Turned Uncool: Confessions of a Reluctant Grown-Up,” which producer Kevin Misher has been developing since 2005. Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison shingle was also involved with the comedy at one point. The half-hour animated “Burgers,” from Loren Bouchard and Jim Dauterive, focuses on a family that runs a struggling East Coast burger joint. The series is scheduled to become part of Fox’s Sunday night “Animation Domination” programming midseason in early 2011.

Rookie writer Josh Parkinson and "George Washington" writer-director David Gordon Green have teamed up for two developing projects. Green’s Rough House banner has dipped into its discretionary fund to pick up preemptively Parkinson’s first original screenplay, “Free Country,” a thriller with comedic elements. Parkinson is further developing the script with Green, who is eyeing it as a potential directing gig. The pair has also been hired by Paramount to rework the screenplay for “Battling Boy,” an adaptation of a graphic novel the studio picked up in late 2008 for Brad Pitt’s Plan B shingle. “Watchmen” co-writer Alex Tse previously worked on the adaptation.