Back in February 2020, Mission: Impossible 7 was delayed over in Italy when early signs of COVID-19’s global impact were starting to become known. Over a year later, the same movie has once again been delayed while Tom Cruise and the cast shoot in the United Kingdom. The Paramount film will shut down after “at least one member” of the production tested positive for the coronavirus.
The upcoming return of Ethan Hunt has been stalled again in order to stay in line with COVID-19 health guidelines in the U.K following word of the positive test by The Hollywood Reporter. The production released this statement following the shutdown:
We have temporarily halted production on Mission: Impossible 7 until June 14th, due to positive coronavirus test results during routine testing. We are following all safety protocols and will continue to monitor the situation.
The action flick will be set back about two weeks as the cast and crew are asked to self isolate following at least one positive COVID-19 case. The Mission: Impossible 7 production has dealt with numerous delays throughout the past year, including a prior shutdown back in October when 12 people tested positive for coronavirus within the production.
Mission: Impossible 7 made headlines in December 2020 when audio leaked of Tom Cruise yelling at crew members for not adhering to COVID-19 guidelines on set. At least 50 people were reportedly present as the Top Gun star was heard yelling expletives at crew, including calling them “motherfuckers” for standing closer than two meters apart.
After the viral Tom Cruise rant, the actor opened up about the outburst, sharing that he was dealing with a lot of “high emotions” from the film industry to provide jobs and keep big movies rolling during the global crisis. Cruise reportedly also bought two “state-of-the-art” robots to patrol the U.K. Mission: Impossible 7 set in early 2021 after the cast and crew took a breather for the holidays.
At this point, it’s expected that Mission: Impossible 7 is toward the end of its lengthy shoot that will once again involve incredible stunts and action set pieces featuring Tom Cruise. It will be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously helmed 2015’s Rogue Nation and 2018’s Fallout. The seventh installment is being shot back-to-back with Mission: Impossible 8, which is set to be released one year after 7.
So any delays for Mission: Impossible 7 are not only stalling the big-budget production itself, but its sequel. Both movies will star Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Cary Elwes, Angela Bassett and Shea Whigham. Mission: Impossible 7 is expected for May 27, 2022, and Mission: Impossible 8 is set to come out on July 7, 2023.
