In 2011, Brad Bird did not seem like the obvious choice to direct a live-action blockbuster. The filmmaker behind beloved animated movies The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille had established himself as a family-entertainment visionary, but no one would have expected him to take up the mantle of one of the biggest action franchises in Hollywood. But it turned out that Bird was exactly the right person to elevate Tom Cruise’s signature series to the next level.
