It appears that fans will have to wait even longer to see Ethan Hunt in action, as Paramount’s Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 have been pushed back yet again. According to The Hollywood Reporter, amid the surges of new COVID variants, Paramount has decided to delay the two films yet again, believing that American audiences will not be ready to return to theaters in the upcoming months.
The two films have been through countless delays due to the pandemic over the past 20 months, as Mission: Impossible 7 was originally set to release in July 2020 before being moved to December 2020 then to November 19, 2021, May 27, 2022, and as of recently, September 30, 2022. Mission: Impossible 8 was originally planned for an August 2022 release date before moving to its recent July 2023 release date.
According to reports, Paramount and Skydance have released a statement announcing the delay. “After thoughtful consideration, Paramount Pictures and Skydance have decided to postpone the release dates for Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 in response to delays due to the ongoing pandemic. The new release dates will be July 14, 2023, and June 28, 2024, respectively. We look forward to providing moviegoers with an unparalleled theatrical experience.” Although they have shifted the Mission: Impossible dates, both studios plan on keeping Top Gun: Maverick (which also stars Cruise) for a May 27, 2022 release.
Unlike other studios including Disney and Warner Bros., which have had many of their films available to stream the same day as their theatrical release, Paramount looks to be sticking with keeping many of their big titles, like last year’s A Quiet Place Part II exclusively for theaters. The same goes for Cruise’s Mission: Impossible films as well as his Top Gun: Maverick film, both are to remain only for theaters, as Cruise and Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie are big supporters of the theatrical experience.
While details for the two spy films have been kept under wraps, fans can expect them to include some of the most insane stunts the series has ever seen, as last year’s CinemaCon event featured Cruise and McQuarrie revealing Cruise in a death-defying stunt. As for any trailers or other kinds of footage, none has been released, but with the Super Bowl approaching next month, an event known for premiering some epic trailers from upcoming films (which it did for Mission: impossible - Fallout back in 2018), it is likely the trailer will debut then.
Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 will also star Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, Hayley Atwell as Grace, Ving Rhames Luther Stickell, Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, Vanessa Kirby as Alanna Mitsopolis, and Angela Bassett as Erika Sloane. Cary Elwes, Pom Klementieff, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney, and Charles Parnell have been cast in undisclosed roles.
Mission: Impossible 7 is set to release on July 14, 2023, while Mission: Impossible 8 gears up for a June 28, 2024 release date.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter