'Mission: Impossible' 7 and 8 pushed back

The release dates for the suspended Mission: Impossible 7 and and its sequel Mission: Impossible 8 have been shunted back by Paramount Pictures.

The seventh movie was supposed to be slated for 23 July, 2021, with the eighth all set for 5 August, 2022.

Now the seventh movie will be released four months later on 19 November, 2021, and the eighth on 2 November, 2022.

Mission: Impossible 7, the so-far un-sufixxed follow up to Mission: Impossible – Fallout, was filming in Venice, just as the coronavirus was taking hold in the north of Italy.

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The production was then halted in late February, with director Christopher McQuarrie's movie having been on hiatus ever since.

In a statement released at the time, Paramount said: “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.

“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.”

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The movie will be a huge bankroller for Paramount, with the last making $791 million at the box office.

Paramount has also delayed a handful of other projects too, with its long-in-gestation Dungeons and Dragons movie now set for 27 May, 2022, pushed back from November, 2021, and horror movie Spell now removed from the studio's schedule completely.

Meanwhile, Chris Pratt post-apocalypse movie The Tomorrow World will now land on 23 July, 2021.