With more than $350 million in worldwide box office sales of "Rogue Nation," Tom Cruise declared that "Mission: Impossible 6" might start production as early as 2017.

The previous release dates of the "Mission: Impossible" films in the franchise were separated by at least four years. However, Cruise said last month in "The Daily Show" that they plan to swiftly move on with the sixth instalment, reported Variety.

"We're starting to work on it now. We'll probably start shooting it next summer," he said to host Jon Stewart while promoting "Rogue Nation."

The espionage action-thriller is known to bear only the face of Tom Cruise, under the reins of various directors. With the probable guarantee of another instalment in the franchise, many are assuming that "M:I 5" director Christopher McQuarrie will be out of the picture.

In an interview with Uproxx, the director hinted that they have already talked about the sixth movie. However, he explained that having a new person on the helm might be the best.

"First and foremost, as you pointed out, one of the things that people love about this series is that it's a different director for every chapter," he said. "And they are very, very challenging movies to make and, with each movie, it becomes more challenging for the next person. And when I was watching Tom on the side of the A400, the first thing I said when he landed was, 'Boy, I feel sorry for the next director.'"

The entire "Mission: Impossible" franchise has bagged approximately $2 billion in worldwide box office sales, with "Rogue Nation" still growing its impressive $373.4 million gross, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Although Universal Pictures has yet to confirm the production of "Mission: Impossible 6," it is most likely that fans will get to see Ethan Hunt return to the big screen.