Alec Baldwin is in talks to play the head of the CIA in Mission: Impossible 5.

Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner are all set to reprise their roles in the fifth instalment of the action franchise, which will be directed by Christopher McQuarrie and is due for release in December 2015.

The Hollywood Reporter also revealed that Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson, who appeared in BBC period drama The White Queen, has been signed up as the female lead in the film, after Jessica Chastain turned down the role.

Rebecca, 30, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for The White Queen, will next be seen in Dawyne Johnson's Hercules.

Meanwhile, Deadline reported that Alec is also in talks to join Will Smith in the Peter Landesman-directed movie about football concussions.

And the 30 Rock star is also said to be developing a new TV show in which he will play a buffoonish Mayor of New York City. The character is inspired by Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto who recently confessed he was seeking help for drug addiction after a series of odd outbursts and public appearances.