Coronavirus: Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ Filming Could Abandon Italy Production Completely
Tom Cruise and the rest of the cast and crew for Mission: Impossible 7 may abandon their Italy production completely following an indefinite suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Filming of Mission: Impossible 7 was supposed to take place in Venice, Italy a few weeks ago. After the temporary suspension of production, there are plans to return to the set by June.
However, a report from Variety stated that Hollywood productions will have to ensure the health and safety of its staff and crew before returning to work. Since there’s a lack of certainty about medical testing and with the current state of Italy’s public health, the cast and crew might have to relocate or stay put in the U.S.
Variety noted that Hollywood productions planning to film in foreign places have to remain in the U.S. when travel restrictions are still in place. The report further cited that Cruise wants to push back production until the fall season instead.
However, experts have been saying that the virus may still accelerate during the flu season in fall or winter. A second wave, which could potentially kill millions more, is projected if it follows the trajectory of the 1918 flu pandemic.
“I have a lot of clients with productions that they want to shoot in 2020,” says Elsa Ramo, the lawyer for the production company Skydance. “But it would be arrogant and misleading of me to offer them any sort of assurance that’s possible. We’re still in a period of uncertainty. We’re still in a pandemic, so it’s not like we’re going to wake up tomorrow and no one will be infected.”
Mission: Impossible 7 also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Nicholas Hoult, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham and Henry Czerny. The film is written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
The movie has an August 2022 release date but it’s unclear if this will be push back as well.