The Hollywood Reporter has learned that filming on Chris McQuarrie's hotly-awaited Mission: Impossible 7 has been shut down in the United Kingdom for two weeks after at least one member of the production team tested positive for COVID-19.
It's currently unclear at this time how many people may have been exposed or tested positive, but regardless, all parties that were in close proximity are expected to self-isolate for the next fourteen days.
In a statement, Paramount said, “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.”
This is the third time the blockbuster has been forced to delay production after the first seven-month global shutdown in February 2020 during the initial outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic, and a one-week delay in October when twelve crew members tested positive in Italy. However, it is the first shut down to happen after explicit audio leaked of the film's 3x Academy Award-nominated star Tom Cruise reprimanding his crew for breaking COVID safety protocols.
In addition to Cruise as the headliner, the highly anticipated McQ-directed action blockbuster will also see the return of Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, Academy Award-nominee Vanessa Kirby as the White Widow, and Academy Award-nominee Angela Bassett as Erika Sloane.
Newcomers to the franchise include the aforementioned Hayley Atwell (Avengers: Endgame; Captain America: The First Avenger), Pom Klementieff (Avengers: Endgame; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), Shea Whigham (Perry Mason; Marvel's Agent Carter), Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible; Supergirl), Esai Morales (Titans; La Bamba), Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2; Hobbs & Shaw), Charles Parnell (Top Gun: Maverick; Transformers: Age of Extinction), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones; Carnival Row), Mark Gatiss (The Father; The Favourite), and Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride; Saw).
Mission: Impossible 7 lights the fuse in theaters on May 27, 2022; followed by Mission: Impossible 8 on July 7, 2023.