Mission: Impossible 7 was badly hit by the coronavirus when it was in the midst of a planned production schedule in Italy earlier this February. With things only having gotten worse since then, there’s no clarity on when the action movie would be able to resume production. In an extensive report by Variety covering the precautions Hollywood may need to take in the wake of the pandemic, we learn that Cruise is hopeful of filming resuming by mid-June.

By all accounts, that is a highly ambitious target. However, the filmmakers are planning some measures to see if that could happen. Being heavily debated is the Italy schedule that may either end up being pushed to the end of the year when the virus has subsided or scrapped entirely. This poses a huge problem for Mission: Impossible 7 since, as we learned, much of the plot is set around Venice.

There’s also the legal issues and implications to get around when resuming filming. A post-COVID19 world may look radically different, with production companies having to ensure film sets are safe and crew members aren’t running any health issues. In this case, the filmmaking team of Christoper McQuarrie and co might have to rework contracts and secure permits for filming in these new durations. It’s still a grey area at this point but apparently, Cruise and team remain hopeful that things will work out.

Mission: Impossible 7 was announced together with Mission: Impossible 8 as a two-part installment that would be filmed back-to-back. It features an ensemble cast including the likes of returning actors Simon Pegg, Rebecca Fergusson and Vanessa Kirby with new additions including Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham and Nicholas Hault who plays the villain. Henry Czerny from the first film is also expected to return.

Mission: Impossible 7 is set for release on July 23, 2021 although with the recent shifts in release dates, it remains to be seen if the movie can make its intended date.