Tom Cruise‘s next two “Mission: Impossible” films have been delayed once again due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Paramount Pictures and Skydance announced Friday that the release of “Mission: Impossible 7” will be pushed from Sept. 20 to July 14, 2023. “Mission: Impossible 8,” previously set for July 2023, will instead open June 28, 2024.
The date shift comes as somewhat of a surprise, as the “Mission: Impossible 7” set was noted for being among the first productions to safely resume filming as the virus continued to spread.
It was reported early last year that Cruise, a producer on the flicks, enlisted robots to help him enforce safety protocols on the movie sets, having dropped “huge sums” of money to do so.
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“Mission: Impossible 7” and “Mission: Impossible 8” have both been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Associated Press)
Furthermore, the 59-year-old actor reportedly shelled out $700,000 for the film’s cast and crew to live on cruise ships in order to maintain isolation.
Shooting on “Mission: Impossible 7” was put on hiatus in early 2020 because of COVID-19. After filming resumed in the summer of 2020, principal photography ultimately concluded by September 2021.
Paramount and Skydance attributed the postponements to pandemic-related delays.
Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell co-star in “Mission: Impossible 7.” (Getty Images)
“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,” said the film companies in a joint statement.
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The franchise planned to shoot the seventh and eighth films back-to-back but reportedly scrapped the ambitious plans nearly a year ago due to the pandemic. Cruise has since been seen filming for the eighth flick.
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The set of “Mission: Impossible 7” was also home to a series of explosive tirades by Cruise, who reportedly launched into profanity-laden and high-volume rants when he saw people on set not adhering to safety protocols.
Vanessa Kirby and Tom Cruise both reprise their “Mission: Impossible” roles. (Getty Images)
Cruise took an early Christmas holiday after audio of one of his tirades leaked, in which the star threatened the jobs of crew members.
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“Mission: Impossible 7” features an expansive and star-studded cast including Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Simon Pegg, Shea Whigham and more.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
