Mission: Impossible films seven and eight release days delayed amid COVID-19 pandemic

The next film in the Mission: Impossible franchise starring Tom Cruise, the seventh installment, was supposed to hit theaters July 23, 2021 with the eight film released on August 5, 2022.

But, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Paramount has delayed the release of both movies, according to Variety.

Mission: Impossible 7 has been moved by four months to a new theatrical release date of November 19, 2021 with Mission: Impossible 8 pushed back three months to November 4, 2022.

On February 24, Paramount Pictures was forced to halt filming after the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, via Variety.

The franchise’s star, Tom Cruise, had just arrived in Venice, Italy for filming on February 20.

The movie star was forced to hole up in a luxury hotel there as he awaited the decision on the future of the project, according to Dailymail.com.

The actor, 57, was due to start filming in the popular ancient canals and squares of the floating city upon arrival.

However, production was put in limbo after Italian authorities put the country in a total lockdown in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.  

Paramount halted production of the three week shoot for Venice after the city announced a halt on public gatherings.

The Mission Impossible film franchise with Tom began in 1996; it was inspired after the Mission: Impossible TV series aired in 1966 until 1973.

The first film following the series was in 1968 called Mission: Impossible vs. the Mob; the series was revived briefly in 1988.

Tom’s first film as Ethan Hunt in the franchise was Mission: Impossible, released in 1996.

He starred in the sequels that followed: Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018).