The cast and crew undergo routine COVID-19 tests and that is when the positive results were discovered, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. It is unclear how many people have tested positive at this point, but an official statement released by Paramount Pictures confirms that shooting will not resume until at least June 14, following the two-week isolation period generally recommended by health experts for those who contract the virus.
RELATED: Tom Cruise Admits He Can’t Keep A Straight Face During Action Scenes
Over the past year, Mission: Impossible 7 has faced several delays due to the ongoing pandemic. It was one of the first films to halt production when the first set of lockdowns went into place in February 2020. The film was meant to begin filming in Italy, when cases began rising in the country and the local government banned mass gatherings, leading to Paramount postponing the start of production.
Shooting began in September, with strict regulations in place to protect the cast and crew, which included maintaining a safe distance between members present on set. When two crew members failed to comply with the protocols, Cruise lost his temper and took it upon himself to reprimand the duo. An audio recording of Cruise leaked in December wherein he was heard lashing out at the crew members in an expletives-laden rant.
The film, which initially had a release date of July 2021, will not be seeing the light of day any time soon. After facing delays due to the ongoing pandemic, Paramount had set the release date to November 2021. However, in April, the studio shuffled its entire release calendar for the year and decided to postpone the release of Mission: Impossible 7 to May 2022. It is unclear whether the current delays in shooting would result in Paramount further postponing its release.
Mission: Impossible 7 is not the only upcoming Cruise flick to be postponed, though. Top Gun: Maverick, which was meant to premiere on July 2, will now be premiering on November 19. Additionally, the seventh and eighth installments of Mission: Impossible were initially planned to be shot together. But, due to his promotional duties associated with Top Gun: Maverick later this year, Cruise will not be available to continue shooting Mission: Impossible 8 immediately, which pushes back the release of the film to July 2023.
Mission: Impossible 7 is scheduled to release in theaters on May 27, 2022.
More: ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ Features Tom Cruise’s Most Dangerous Stunt Yet
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
