The coronavirus is continuing to disrupt the lives of people in certain countries where the virus is spreading quickly. Now, it’s even impacted the production of the acclaimed movie franchise Mission: Impossible.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming seventh installation in the series had to halt production in Venice because of a coronavirus outbreak in Italy. According to The New York Times, the country has more than 150 confirmed cases and it even led to the shutting down of Venice’s carnival celebrations.
“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three-week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for Mission: Impossible 7,” a spokesperson for Paramount told The Hollywood Reporter on Monday. “During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts. We will continue to monitor this situation, and work alongside health and government officials as it evolves.”
The star of the franchise, Tom Cruise, wasn’t present in Italy for the shoot. The upcoming flick will be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who led 2015’s Rogue Nation and 2018’s Fallout. He’s writing and directing the seventh and eight installments of the series back-to-back for Skydance and Paramount. Cruise is taking on the role of agent Ethan Hunt once again, with additional cast including Rebecca Ferguson, Nicholas Hoult, Hayley Atwell and Shea Whigham.