Mission: Impossible 7 has somehow still managed to continue shooting across the globe despite restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, we know that star Tom Cruise is taking the virus seriously thanks to a leaked audio clip, but even lockdown can't stop Ethan Hunt in his tracks.
However, while the original plan was to shoot this movie back-to-back with Mission: Impossible 8, that has now changed. Surprisingly, this is not a result of the pandemic.
Deadline reports that it boils down to the release date changes which have plagued Hollywood for the past year or so. With Cruise needed to promote Top Gun: Maverick for Paramount Pictures ahead of its planned July 2nd release date, the studio has decided to hold off on shooting the eighth movie in the Mission franchise until after that sequel has been released over the summer.
That's not exactly a huge delay, and the trade notes that reports from the weekend that filming has been disrupted by COVID-related travel issues are incorrect. In fact, it was only yesterday that director Christopher McQuarrie took to Instagram to reveal that work in the Middle East had been completed, and that the crew was heading back to London to put a few finishing touches on the Fallout follow-up.
For now, Mission: Impossible 7 is set to be released this November. Time will tell whether that and Top Gun: Maverick meet their respective release dates, but things are looking up thanks to the vaccine, so Tom Cruise can continue to pull off death-defying stunts before heading into outer space.