Paramount Pictures will no longer be shooting Tom Cruise’s upcoming action sequels, Mission: Impossible 7 and 8, back to back. The news was revealed by Deadline, which published an exclusive report noting that the decision had more to do with scheduling conflicts rather than the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“Star Tom Cruise will now be needed on promotional duties by the studio for Top Gun: Maverick ahead of that film’s planned release on July 2, and will be out of action for a period,” Deadline explained. “Once that film has rolled out – hopefully to packed cinemas in a post-Covid world – production on MI: 8 can begin, meaning the gap shouldn’t be too impactful.”
“Deadline understands that stories in the UK tabloids this weekend claiming Mission: Impossible 7 had been disrupted by pandemic-related travel issues are false. As director Christopher McQuarrie posted on Instagram yesterday, the team have now wrapped a successful shoot in the Middle East and are traveling back to London to apply a few ‘finishing touches’ to the picture.”
You can check out McQuarrie’s Instagram post below, which includes a desert shot from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Mission: Impossible 7 is tentatively scheduled for release on November 19, 2021, while Mission: Impossible 8 is slated for November 4, 2022. The last installment, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, has earned over $791 million worldwide ($220 million domestic).