A simple gesture has had big rewards for 'Alias' creator J.J. Abrams. When he met Cruise this summer, Cruise confessed he had never seen Abrams’ show. Abrams gave him the first two seasons of 'Alias' on DVD not thinking Cruise would watch them. Not only did he watch them, he has offered Abrams the role as director of 'Mission: Impossible 3'. Abrams has never directed a movie before although he has directed episodes of “Alias” and another series he created “Felicity.” But he wasn’t about to turn down the offer to direct the blockbuster. 'The thing about 'Mission: Impossible' is that it is an incredible challenge, it's an incredible opportunity,' Abrams said Wednesday.

It has been a nearly impossible mission to find a director for this movie. David Fincher was originally attached to direct but dropped out to do another movie. Joe Carnahan, who directed the Cruise-produced 'Narc,' stepped in, but he left earlier this summer over 'creative differences.' Other directors have also been rumored to be attached to the project.

Shooting was set to begin this fall but has been pushed back to 2005. Cruise will be busy filming “The War of the Worlds” with Steven Spielberg and Abrams has both the fourth season of “Alias” and his new TV show “Lost” to worry about. Scarlett Johansson and Carrie-Anne Moss are both set to appear with Cruise in 'M:I 3.'

Abrams’s new show “Lost” is about survivors of a jet plane crash who wash up on a mysterious island. The pilot, which airs September 22, was the most expensive pilot ever made in TV history, no doubt due to the fact that it features a plane crash.