Even Ethan Hunt and the diligent actor who portrays him are apparently no match for the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as Paramount has just announced that both Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 will miss their previously designated release dates of Sep. 30, 2022, and July 7, 2023.
Mission: Impossible 7 will now come to theaters on Jul. 14, 2023, while its back-to-back sequel is pushed to Jun. 28, 2024, if not subjected to further delays. After sweating through a prolonged filming phase and taking pride in being one of the few productions that still rolled amid the surging outbreak of the deadly virus, Tom Cruise must be fuming with hot rage right now.
This discouraging decision comes amid numerous other projects halting production or delaying their slated release due to this relentless new Omicron variant, among them Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and George Clooney’s Ticket to Paradise.
Paramount and Skydance, meanwhile, who co-produce the Mission: Impossible films, have released a joint statement that underlines their reasoning for this 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.”
This dreadful nightmare doesn’t seem to want to end for the time being, and with the trend we’re seeing right now, it might be best to get used to further announcements of this kind. Though this one, in particular, is certainly a bummer of epic proportions, especially considering the hell that the production team of Mission: Impossible 7 has gone through to shoot the film over the past two years.