Occasional Pod-guest (and reigning interview-length champ) Christopher McQuarrie often says that from the chaos of changes and finding locations comes gems that make his Mission: Impossible movie entries soar. We'd imagine, then, that he's both pleased and dismayed by news that the planned Venice shoot for the seventh film is being delayed – if not cancelled outright – due to virus concerns in Italy.
McQuarrie and his cast and crew had been aiming to kick off a shoot in the watery city shortly, but will now delay that portion of production or look elsewhere to start the lengthy process of the film.
"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," the studio says. "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."
Tom Cruise – who hadn't yet reported for duty on the film – leads the seventh (and eighth movies), which are still currently scheduled to arrive on 23 July next year and 5 August 2022. Now all we have to do is wait for McQuarrie's three-hour story on the sudden production change...