Mission: Impossible 7 shuts down filming over coronavirus fears
Work on Mission: Impossible 7 is temporarily shutting down as concerns are raised about the coronavirus.
Fears over the respiratory disease are spreading beyond China, with Italy the latest country attempting to contain the virus following 219 reported cases in the country.
Among the efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus has been an ordinance against public gatherings in Venice, where Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible team had been due to start filming.
Paramount Pictures has been forced to pull the plug on three weeks of filming for the sequel as a means to protect the cast and crew's health.
Related: Why Mission: Impossible 7 is bringing back Kittridge
A studio spokesperson told the New York Post: "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.
"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."
Mission: Impossible – Fallout was also forced to temporarily shut down in 2017 for a completely different reason, after Tom Cruise was injured filming a dangerous stunt.
Cruise broke his ankle when he botched the landing on a leap from building to building in London, causing Paramount to pay for an eight-week hiatus while he healed.
Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8, which are being shot back-to-back, are set to be released on July 23, 2021 and August 5, 2022. There is no indication yet that these dates will be delayed.
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