Mission: Impossible fans will have to wait a bit longer for the next two installments in the franchise.
"After thoughtful consideration, Paramount Pictures and Skydance have decided to postpone the release dates for Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 in response to delays due to the ongoing pandemic. The new release dates will be July 14, 2023, and June 28, 2024, respectively. We look forward to providing moviegoers with an unparalleled theatrical experience," Paramount and Skydance said in a joint statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
This isn't the first time that Mission: Impossible 7's release date has been delayed. In April 2020, Paramount pushed the project from a July 2020 release date to December 2020, later shifting the date to Nov. 19, 2021, and then again to May 27, 2022. Like many productions, Mission: Impossible struggled during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In June, M: I-7 shut down production after at least one person on set tested positive for COVID-19. The film was also forced to shut down in February 2020 as the pandemic spread to Italy where they were filming.
Franchise star Tom Cruise made headlines in December 2020 when footage leaked of the actor lashing out at the film's crew for not following COVID-19 safety protocols on set. "They're back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf***ers. That's it. No apologies. You can tell it to the people that are losing their f***ing homes because our industry is shut down," Cruise shouted at crew members, adding, "We are not shutting this f***ing movie down. Is it understood? If I see it again, you're f***ing gone."
The previous summer, M: I-7 was embroiled in controversy when director Christopher McQuarrie was accused of seeking permission to blow up a historically significant bridge in Poland for the film. However, McQuarrie later clarified that it was a misunderstanding, stating, "there was never a plan to blow up a 111-year-old protected monument."
The director continued, "We would never under any circumstances dream of intentionally causing harm to the cultural or historical landmarks we visit, and take great pains to protect those landmarks we feature. To respect and celebrate the places we film is our prime directive. No one involved in the production asked for permission to destroy a historically significant landmark in Poland." McQuarrie stated that a disgruntled individual who "claimed they were owed a job on the production for which we felt they were not adequately qualified" was responsible for the confusion, retaliating against the production when they were not hired.
McQuarrie is at the helm for both Mission: Impossible 7 and 8. He also wrote/directed Rogue Nation and Fallout. Details around the upcoming installments are scarce, but M: I-7 will follow the events of 2018's Fallout which concluded with Ethan Hunt shutting down Solomon Lane's bombs and saving the world once again.
Apart from Cruise, the star-studded cast of M: I-7 includes Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Angela Bassett, Cary Elwes, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney and Charles Parnell.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter