The COVID-19 pandemic affected countless major blockbuster productions from “The Batman” to “Jurassic World: Dominion,” but arguably none were more impacted “Mission: Impossible 7”.
A new feature piece at THR has now gone into details about just how rough production on the film got for those involved along with the position the studio and the film now finds itself in.
As we know the film’s release date has been pushed four times and the trade indicates Cruise and writer-director Christopher McQuarrie are holding on to the film as a ‘work in progress’ while working on the eighth one which is currently filming.
Namely, they suggest the pair don’t want M:I-7 out there until much of M:I-8 is done and the studio won’t have any luck imposing budget restrictions on what is allegedly the final installment. It also gives them more flexibility over the cliffhanger ending of M:I-7 with them still tweaking the movie and adding elements from a submarine sequence in M:I-8 into parts of M:I-7.
Nevertheless, hundreds of millions of dollars are on the line according to their sources with M:I-7 already hitting a $290 million budget and that’s with tax incentives. Some of that cost overrun can be attributed to the film’s bad luck with both Cruise and McQuarrie reportedly contracting the virus with McQuarrie’s illness so severe that he was hospitalized in London.
The article also indicates Cruise was allegedly furious with the announced plan of bringing the film to Paramount+ after a 45-day theatrical window with their source saying: “for him, 45 days is like going day-and-date” and he wanted no less than a standard pre-pandemic three-month run. Both sides have agreed to postpone the argument until closer to M:I-7’s release.
The article also indicates Paramount tried to set up a series based on the Tony Scott-directed racing action flick “Days of Thunder” but that project was “strangled in its cradle” by Cruise who has also apparently stomped on the idea of developing a new “Mission: Impossible” TV series.
All this is unfolding as Paramount is undergoing major change with a new regime in charge and a more streaming-focused future away from tentpoles. For now, the seventh film is slated for a July 2023 release and the eighth for a June 2024 release.