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Two weeks ago, Brad Bird — best known for his work at Pixar with The Incredibles and Ratatouille — was reported to be in the running to make his live-action debut with Mission: Impossible IV. The fourth film in the long-beloved spy franchise will see the return of M:I III director J.J. Abrams as producer and Tom Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt. Today we come to find out that Bird wasn’t just on the studio’s director wish list — he might just be their guy.

Vulture is reporting that Bird is “in final negotiations” to take the reigns. The deal reportedly hinges on the large sum of money that Bird is looking for to direct. As Vulture explains, Bird is used to much larger animated projects that take more time, thus the director is paid more. For this live-action tentpole, Bird will be turning in the movie much more quickly — in time for the May 27, 2011 release date the studio has already set. Paramount is hoping that he will come down a notch or two and sign on, as production will need to begin soon.