Tom Cruise started shooting scenes for "Mission: Impossible 3" in Rome on Tuesday by whizzing past the camera in a speedboat on the river Tiber reports The Associated Press.

Several scenes in the movie are set in Rome, Italian news reports said. After filming a motorboat chase on the Tiber, shooting will move near St. Peter's Square and in the area around the Trevi Fountain. Before stepping into the speedboat, Cruise embraced actress Katie Holmes on the riverside set.

Meanwhile, during their "The Island" press rounds, writers Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci talked to Coming Soon about their approach to the material: "We actually took the same approach that we tended to take with J.J. on 'Alias'. It's all a giant metaphor for what's going on in the world now, but you never use names and you never say countries. The great thing about 'Mission: Impossible' is that the whole franchise was based on fake countries. They were always going off to Gonawanaland or wherever they were, and it was always a metaphor for some kind of current political situation".

The duo also thought that M:I-3 might be the closest that anyone comes to seeing "Alias" on the big screen any time soon. A May 5th 2006 release date is being targeted.

Thanks to 'Walsh'.