VIDEO: Ruben Fleischer Explains Why He Passed on Mission: Impossible 4 for 30 Minutes or Less

After scoring a critical and commercial hit with his directorial debut, 2009's Zombieland, director Ruben Fleischer decided to make the relatively humble crime comedy 30 Minutes or Less (in theaters Friday) as his follow-up, rather than take on some huge Hollywood work-for-hire gig like Mission: Impossible 4, which he was once in the running to direct. And as he tells Cinema Blend, when he watched the first trailer for the Brad Bird-helmed spy sequel, he knew he'd made the right decision.

"I just felt like if I didn't do [30 Minutes or Less] then I would never have the chance to, because once you're in that machine then that's what you do," said Fleischer. "I also didn't have the confidence, to be totally honest. I wasn't ready to take on that scale of pressure, it sounded really intimidating."

It's a rational line of thought from Fleischer, whose 30 Minutes or Less -- which stars Zombieland's Jesse Eisenberg as a pizza man forced to rob a bank -- feels distinctly his. Besides, Fleischer's next film, the period crime thriller Gangster Squad, will be a big enough step up in terms of scale. Watch the full video below.

· Exclusive Video: Ruben Fleischer Explains Why He Turned Down Mission: Impossible 4 [Cinema Blend]