Mission: Impossible 7 has suspended production in Venice, Italy, which was set to unfold over the course of a three-week shoot. Fears surrounding the coronavirus, which has spread through Italy faster than any country west of China, has forced the local government to shut down public gatherings in the city, ranging from sporting events to movie shoots. It's not immediately clear if this change of plans will affect the movie's expected filming in Rome for the month of March.
Under the working title of Libra, Mission: Impossible 7 is set to be the latest in a line of big blockbuster films for the Paramount Pictures franchise. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the latest Mission: Impossible film will be shot back-to-back with an eighth installment of the franchise. This would be released theatrically about a year after Mission: Impossible 7. Filming was originally set to begin this week. There have been a series of casting announcements, including the return of Henry Czerny as Kittridge, the IMF boss who hasn't appeared since the first Mission: Impossible film 25 years ago. Additionally, MCU star Hayley Atwell will star in both Mission Impossible 7 and Mission Impossible 8.
The Mission: Impossible 7 filming will not go off without a hitch, however, with Deadline reporting the halt of production in Venice. In a statement, Paramount revealed that the production shift came out of "an abundance of caution," although it's not clear if there was much of a choice due to the government ordinances in Venice. Paramount's statement also noted that production members were being allowed to return to their homes, suggesting the Venice shoot may be scrapped altogether, as it was only planned for three weeks.
There has also been some confusion about how close star Tom Cruise was to these production shoots, but Deadline states he was not even in Italy at the time of the suspension. Cruise does take a very active role when it comes to the production of the Mission: Impossible films. He's even been training to do dangerous stunts for the upcoming double movie shoot. There has been no change thus far to Mission: Impossible 7's intended release date of July 23, 2021.
While being a global health issue first and foremost, the coronavirus is beginning to wreak havoc on the entertainment industry. The premiere of the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, was canceled in China because of coronavirus fears. Several other movies have also had their China release dates pushed back indefinitely. The gaming industry has already begun to suffer as well. With the virus spreading, film productions like that of Mission: Impossible 7 are now in unexpected danger.
Source: Deadline
