Normally, in the “Mission: Impossible” films, it’s up to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt to save the day and prevent the spreading of some world-ending virus or biological weapon. But in real life, when a virus, such as the recent coronavirus infects Italy, Cruise is sidelined. And that’s exactly what happened with the production of “Mission: Impossible 7,” which has now been the latest film to get affected by the tragic virus.
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According to Deadline, production on “Mission: Impossible 7” has been halted in Italy after the government declared that there will be no public gatherings in response to a recent outbreak of coronavirus in the country. As of now, it has been reported that there are 219 cases of coronavirus in Italy, marking one of the biggest outbreaks outside of China for the illness. This means that production on the Christopher McQuarrie-directed film is now going on an indefinite hiatus.
Paramount released a statement about the situation:
“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for Mission: Impossible 7. During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts. We will continue to monitor this situation, and work alongside health and government officials as it evolves.”
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There’s no word on when the hiatus might end, as it appears the coronavirus scare isn’t going away anytime soon. In China, film and TV productions have already been massively hit due to the virus. The entire box office has been shut down in the country, as well as various other productions, including the new series from filmmaker Wong Kar-wai. But “Mission: Impossible 7” marks the first major production outside of China to be affected by the illness.
“Mission: Impossible 7” is part of a back-to-back shooting schedule that is going to see Cruise reprise his role in two more sequels, each directed by McQuarrie. The first of the two films is scheduled to be released on July 23, 2021. It’s unclear if this hiatus will affect the release.
