#Mission: Impossible 8 Is No Longer Shooting Back-to-Back with Mission: Impossible 7

Mission: Impossible 7 and its sequel will no longer shoot back-to-back as previously reported. Back in 2019, before the events of 2020 disrupted basically every scheduled shoot in Hollywood, series star Tom Cruise announced that Mission: Impossible 8 was set to begin filming immediately after the seventh installment wrapped. It was also revealed that the plan was to release M:I 7 in theaters in July 2021 with Mission: Impossible 8 following in August 2022.

As production on part seven comes to a close, Deadline reports that Mission: Impossible 8 will not be going into production immediately after all. This is due to the ever-changing release calendar at Paramount Pictures, which has resulted in another anticipated Tom Cruise starring sequel – Top Gun: Maverick – getting its release date set for July 2. Because Cruise will be needed for promotional duties in the weeks leading up to that movie’s release, M:I 8 can’t start shooting until after Top Gun 2 premieres.
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On Instagram, director Christopher McQuarrie confirmed that the cast and crew recently wrapped filming in Abu Dhabi, and all that’s left is to fill in a few loose ends in England. Posting a photo from the shoot, McQuarrie writes in the caption, “Grace and graciousness, magic and majesty, hospitality and hope. Of the many challenges we’ve faced on our journey, none will be greater than outshining the gifts Abu Dhabi has given us… Now back to London for a few finishing touches. All aboard for our greatest challenge yet.”

Written and directed by McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible 7 brings back Cruise as superspy Ethan Hunt on yet another deadly mission. Reprising their roles from previous installments, the sequel also stars Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Angela Bassett, and Frederick Schmidt. Franchise newcomers Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, and Esai Morales are also starring. Composer Lorne Balfe will also return to compose the score for both the seventh and eighth movies after scoring the sixth.

Due to the pandemic, M:I 7 has had a bit of a rugged shoot with multiple pandemic-related delays, among other problems. A motorcycle stunt rig caught fire during a mishap at one point during production, though fortunately nobody was injured. In December, Cruise was recorded on the set shouting at production crew members for breaking Covid-19 protocols, prompting divided responses from celebrities and fans on social media. Some praised Cruise for taking the pandemic seriously, while Leah Remini criticized the effort as a publicity stunt.

Mission: Impossible 7 is scheduled to be released on Nov. 19, 2021, provided there are no more significant delays. Fortunately, it appears production is nearly complete, so the movie should be finished in plenty of time. The eighth movie is currently penciled in to be released on Nov. 4, 2022, though it’s possible the sequel could see a delay due to its postponed shoot this year. In any case, it will be nice for fans of the series to see Cruise back in the role of Ethan Hunt by the end of the year. This news comes to us from Deadline.

Topics: Mission: Impossible 7, Mission: Impossible 8