During the first half of Super Bowl XL on February 5, Paramount Pictures will unveil a new thirty-second spot for “Mission: Impossible III” that will also kick off The Ultimate Mission, a fully integrated interactive scavenger hunt. Headquartered at www.MissionImpossible.com, The Ultimate Mission invites online users to register as Impossible Mission Force agents to solve mysteries and find clues that have been embedded in original content created especially for partners’ sites; the found clues will pay off when moviegoers see “M:i:III” on May 5.

In the movie, Tom Cruise returns as Special Agent Ethan Hunt, who faces the mission of his life. Director J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Alias”) brings his unique blend of action and drama to the billion-dollar franchise. The film will be released nationwide on May 5, 2006.

Commenting on the announcement, Gerry Rich, president of worldwide motion picture marketing for Paramount Pictures, said, “When you’ve got the goods, it’s exciting to share it with the fans as early as you possibly can. Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams have brought all their talents to ‘M:i:III’ – this is Ethan Hunt’s most personal mission yet. It’s only a taste, but this spot will definitely tell you what we’ve got in store on May 5th.”

The spot holds the clue to solve the first question in The Ultimate Mission, which starts the next day and spans the next three months. The scavenger hunt will range from the very largest sites on the web to the smallest but most loyal fansites. During the hunt, prospective IMF agents will use their web search and detection skills to find “M:i:III” badges integrated directly into partners’ content. As agents find badges, their dossiers on www.MissionImpossible.com will be stamped, similar to a passport, with logos of the informant sites where the answers were found. With each badge found, the dossier will reveal new code words containing clues to key story points of the film.

Amy Powell, vice president of interactive marketing for Paramount Pictures, said, “Never before has anyone tried to orchestrate a scavenger hunt with the breadth of ours and the diversity of partners we have involved. The goal of the ‘M:i:III’ Ultimate Mission is to allow ‘agents’ around the world to engage with the themes of ‘Mission: Impossible,’ embracing technology in the same way the franchise has for decades. The hunt combines the best of two worlds: fans of Tom Cruise and the franchise will now have the opportunity to get personally involved with the most exciting ‘Mission’ so far, and fans of J.J. Abrams – who’ve previously used the Internet to unlock some of the mysteries of ‘Lost’ – will get to take that passion to a new level.”

“Mission: Impossible III” stars Tom Cruise and is directed by J.J. Abrams. The film also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, and Laurence Fishburne.

Paramount Pictures presents a Cruise|Wagner production, “Mission: Impossible III.” The film is directed by J.J. Abrams, from a screenplay written by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & J.J. Abrams, based on the television series created by Bruce Geller. The film is produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner.