The last time we saw Tom Cruise in action as Ethan Hunt was in 2018’s Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Had things gone according to Paramount Pictures’ original plan, we would have reunited with the IMF agent in Mission: Impossible 7 in theaters last summer, but the pandemic put the kibosh on that. While Cruise is finally returning to the big screen this summer (fingers crossed) thanks to Top Gun: Maverick, fans of the actor and action movie enthusiasts will have to wait even longer for Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 to arrive.
Until today, Mission: Impossible 7 was expected to open on September 30, and Mission: Impossible 8 was going to follow on July 7, 2023. Now Paramount Pictures has announced that Mission: Impossible 7 has been delayed to July 14, 2023, resulting in Mission: Impossible 8 being shifted to June 28, 2024. The studio and production company Skydance Media said in an official statement that this course of action is being taken “in response to delays due to the ongoing pandemic.”
Prior to the pandemic, Paramount planned to deliver Mission: Impossible 7 to the masses on July 23, 2021 and Mission: Impossible 8 on August 5, 2022. However, with COVID-19 still impact everyday life, as has happened with so many movies, the studio has had to keep pushing back these two blockbusters. So now, instead of having to wait until the fall to see what kind of trouble Ethan Hunt and the gang will get into in 7, we’re now a year and half away from learning the answer, and the mysteries of 8 won’t be solved for another two and a half years.
For now, Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 have their respective dates to themselves, although naturally that will change down the line. An untitled live-action Disney movie was previously slotted into July 14, 2023, but it has since been removed. Because Tom Cruise is a fan of the theatrical experience, it’s not in the cards for the next two Mission: Impossible movies (or any of his movies) to be become streaming-exclusive releases, so we’ll just have to keep waiting for them. 7 will also be made available on Paramount+ 45 days after its theatrical release, and I imagine it will be the same case with 8.
Just like with Rogue Nation and Fallout, Christopher McQuarrie returned to write and direct Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 goes. While no official plot details about either movie have been revealed yet, among the familiar faces returning alongside Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt are Bing Rhames’ Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg’s Benji Dunn, Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, Vanessa Kirby’s Alanna Mitsopolis and Henry Czerny’s Eugene Kittridge, the latter of whom hasn’t been seen since the first Mission: Impossible movie. Frederick Schmidt will also be back in 7 as Zola Mitsopolis, but it’s unclear if he’ll appear in 8 too. As for the newcomers, Hayley Atwell’s mysterious Grace, Esai Morales’ unidentified main antagonist, Pom Klementieff and Shea Whigham have been confirmed to appear in both of the next Mission: Impossible movies, while 7 will also bring in Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell, Indira Varma, Mark Gatiss, Cary Elwes, Lampros Kalfuntzos and Greg Tarzan Davis.
Mission: Impossible 7 wrapped filming back in September, and now Mission: Impossible 8 is in the midst of production. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on both movies, and scan through our 2022 release schedule to learn what movies are still on track for this year.
