Mission Impossible 7 may have one of the franchise’ most dangerous stunts yet waiting for theatergoers when the movie finally wraps up, but the project was yet again hit with a delay this week. Filming amid the coronavirus pandemic has been something of a nightmare for the MI7 crew, and despite plenty of very public warnings about the dangers of COVID-19 the virus seems to have made its way into the picture yet again.
The Hollywood Reporter shared Thursday that production on the oft-delayed MI7 was shut down again, this time after at least one positive COVID-19 case among the crew. Because of the exposure, things will go dark on set in the UK for a fortnight.
Filming on the Tom Cruise sequel will shut down for 14 days while those involved self-isolate. It is unclear how many members involved in the production tested positive for coronavirus.
“We have temporarily halted production on Mission: Impossible 7 until June 14th, due to positive coronavirus test results during routine testing. We are following all safety protocols and will continue to monitor the situation,” read a statement from the production.
Filming for MI7 was shut down last February in the early months of the pandemic, and production picked back up as the film’s shoot spanned the globe in the months that followed. What’s more, the movie’s filming became synonymous with COVID-19 precautions when footage of star Tom Cruise berating the film’s crew over lax health and safety standards leaked and went viral in its own right. Another star of the film has said the protocols are, indeed serious, with testing up to four times a week to protect against outbreaks while filming overseas. Despite all of that, though, apparently things were not as secure on set as everyone had hoped and now filming on the franchise will have to wait just a bit longer.
[via THR]