With five months to go until its worldwide theatrical release, production on upcoming blockbuster, Mission: Impossible 5 has apparently come to a screeching halt. Per THR, principal photography for the Tom Cruise-starrer is on pause so director Christopher McQuarrie and “a writer friend whose identity remains a mystery” can plot out a new ending. This so-called shadowy scribe “will neither be paid nor credited” according to the outlet, but will be key in reworking what the studio has dubbed an ‘unsatisfactory’ finale.
Paramount recently moved the film’s initial release date up from a Christmas Day opening to a July 31st summer spot. That decision would suggest that the studio has every faith in McQuarrie’s sequel, despite the fact that one source described the helmer as “scrambling” to concoct a new ending. However, on a happier note, another source alleged that “Chris, Tom [Cruise] and a third person wanted to take a minute to get from what they thought was a good place to a more perfect place.”
Whether or not THR’s report bears any fruit is intriguing considering the director’s response. Shortly after the news hit, McQuarrie took to Twitter to post the following message, aimed at the trade publication directly:
A shout out to @thr live from set. #MI5Diary
— ChristopherMcQuarrie (@chrismcquarrie) February 20, 2015
That brief message would imply that the London shoot is not on a hiatus, but in fact, steaming ahead as planned.
As mentioned in the initial story, Paramount has dealt with similar strife on previous titles. In particular, the infamous on-set dilemmas that struck World War Z became almost as dramatic as the film itself. After a lengthy shoot, director Marc Forster was forced to re-shoot many scenes after Damon Lindelof was drafted onto the project to rewrite a brand new ending. Could this be the same problem to have struck the latest Ethan Hunt adventure? Or is it all just hot air?
For now, Mission: Impossible 5 is expected to arrive in theaters on July 31st.