He passes on MI:3...

... and goes on to write/direct what could be the BEST action movie of 2007... and it comes out in January.

For all of you movie neophytes and cave dwellers, Joe Carnahan hit the big time with his noirish cop thriller, Narc, starring Ray Liotta and Jason "Wow I Really Don't Make Movies Anymore" Patrick. Gritty, complex, and essentially a story about friendship and honor, Carnahan's rookie effort (although his first real feature was the low-budget and incredibly well-titled, Blood, Guts, Bullets, and Octane) drew serious praise and some decent box office revenues as well.

So much so that he was originally tasked to take on Mission Impossible 3. But in having to deal with Mr. Impossible Tom "Sofa Jumping is Fun" Cruise, Carnahan bailed and started work on something, well, a little more... um... intense.

And now the countdown is on for Smokin' Aces. I won't even bother to list the insane cast or give you the basic storyline. Just check out the latest trailer and see how many times you press rewind while asking yourself, "Is that assassin really working a chainsaw in a hotel lobby?"