Apparently world-famous secret agents aren't safe from coronavirus. After the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic made MGM delay No Time to Die (Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond) for over a year, the same is now happening with American secret agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise). Paramount Pictures announced today that Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 have been pushed back to 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Both films, which haven’t received official titles as of yet, were originally slated to premiere on September 30, 2022, and July 7, 2023, respectively. The release dates are now July 14, 2023 for Mission: Impossible 7 and June 28, 2024, for Mission: Impossible 8. This is yet another blow to Mission: Impossible fans, who have seen Cruise’s next blockbuster be postponed several times in the wake of the pandemic. A long time ago, before corona arrived, the seventh film in the series was slated to hit theaters on July 23, 2021.
The films’ production made news during the pandemic, when Cruise (who also produces the films) gave the crew a hard time for not following COVID safety protocols as production resumed back in December of 2020. Now, it seems Paramount is not willing to risk the movie’s performance in theaters worldwide, as the new wave led by the Omicron variant makes the future uncertain for box office results.
Paramount Pictures and Skydance, which co-produces the movies, released a joint statement in which they explain their reasoning for the delay:
“After thoughtful consideration, Paramount Pictures and Skydance have decided to postpone the release dates for Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 in response to delays due to the ongoing pandemic. The new release dates will be July 14, 2023, and June 28, 2024, respectively. We look forward to providing moviegoers with an unparalleled theatrical experience.”
Known for its death-defying stunts in which it puts its protagonist, the Mission: Impossible film series is based on the 1966 TV series of the same name, and has grossed over $3.5 billion worldwide. In past installments, Cruise gave his life insurance company a headache as he dangled from the top of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, held on to the outside of a moving airplane in Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, and performed a HALO jump over Paris in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. For Mission: Impossible 7, Cruise performed one of his most daring stunts yet, by jumping off a cliff on a motorcycle.
But, as it turns out, we’ll have to wait a year and a half to see it on the big screen. Thanks again, COVID.