Pitt denies Mission: Impossible rumours

Brad Pitt has slammed rumours he's set to replace Tom Cruise in the struggling

Mission: Impossible franchise.

Cruise, who has played agent Ethan Hunt in the action movies, was axed by Paramount Studios last month following Mission: Impossible III's poor box office takings and his "unacceptable conduct" off screen.

Fight Club star Pitt was hailed as a potential saviour for the fourth installment, but his representative scoffed at the suggestion.

The spokesperson told the New York Daily News: "It's totally made up."