Christopher McQuarrie first called action on Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 thirteen months ago, but cameras are still rolling on the latest adventure for Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt after the production was hit with a series of delays and setbacks as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Attempting to shoot two mega budget globetrotting blockbusters back to back is a difficult task even when conditions are optimal, with the film moving from Italy to the United Arab Emirates via Norway, Poland and England and being beset by issues almost every step of the way, which have covered everything from COVID-19 shutdowns to Cruise laying down the law to crew members breaking health and safety protocols.
The sequels are no longer shooting back to back, with Mission: Impossible 7 set to wrap up before the team takes a well-earned break over the summer, during which time Cruise will hit the promotional trail for Top Gun: Maverick, before things pick up again in September. Despite having been in production for over a year at this point with a November release date still the target, though, the franchise continues to recruit new names to the cast, with several fresh additions having just been announced.
Deadpool 2‘s Rob Delaney, Transformers: Age of Extinction‘s Charles Parnell, Exodus: Gods and King‘s Indira Varma, The Princess Bride‘s Cary Elwes and Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss have all joined the Mission: Impossible family, and with McQuarrie welcoming them on social media with a caption reading ‘Welcome to The Community,’ it sounds as though The Community could be the latest shady and secretive organization set to cause both headaches and havoc for Ethan Hunt and his IMF team.