Mission: Impossible 7 And 8 Release Dates Have Been Delayed Again

I hope you hadn't started your "Mission: Impossible" marathons in anticipation of watching the next two movies in the long-running, death-defying, and wildly entertaining franchise. This isn't likely to come as a surprise to anyone who's been following along with the many production pauses and release date shuffles that have plagued the next two entries of the Tom Cruise-starring action vehicles, but today we've received word that — once again — "Mission: Impossible 7" and "Mission: Impossible 8" have experienced yet another round of delays, this time pushing both sequels back by nearly an entire year.

On one hand, this is easier to come to terms with when the reason for the delay is on account of the ongoing pandemic and, particularly, the rise of Omicron variant cases around the world. Whatever release date makes for the safest overall theatrical rollout for as many people as humanely possible is perfectly fine by me. On the other hand, however, it can't help but feel like we're almost right back to where we started in the first quarter of 2020, watching helplessly as all our most anticipated movies seemingly disappeared before our eyes. Though there are obviously much more important health concerns to be worried about, it's okay to admit that this is a major bummer, too!

The disappointing news comes from The Hollywood Reporter, who confirms that Covid is to blame for these new delays affecting the two follow-ups to 2018's "Mission: Impossible — Fallout." With "Mission: Impossible 7" and "Mission: Impossible 8" previously scheduled for a September 30, 2022 and July 7, 2023 debut, respectively, both Paramount and Skydance released a statement on the decision and the timing for when audiences can expect to see both movies come to theaters now:

"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."

Here's a brief round-up of the twists and turns that "Mission: Impossible 7" and "8" have taken to this point. One of the most memorable moments from early in the pandemic centered on star Tom Cruise's epic rant against a crew member for apparently breaking Covid protocols on set — which, according to actor Simon Pegg in an exclusive for /Film recently, ended up serving as the template for how the entire industry would attempt to restart filming throughout the pandemic. But despite such precautions, filming for "M:I 7" went through a series of starts and stops beginning in February of 2020 (along with the rest of the world), pausing once more in October of that year after a rash of positives, and once again in June of last year. In fact, the tenuous circumstances post-Covid caused director Christopher McQuarrie to change plans and abandon the original idea of filming both "M:I 7" and "M:I 8" back-to-back.

Originally scheduled for a release on July of 2020 (imagine that!), Paramount subsequently pushed "Mission: Impossible 7" back to December 2020, November 2021, and then May of 2022 before ultimately landing at the most recent (and now, obviously, irrelevant) date of September 30, 2022. Now, we can look forward to July 14, 2023, and June 28, 2024 for "M:I 7" and "M:I 8," respectively.

In addition to Cruise and returning series veterans such as Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Angela Bassett, and even original "Mission: Impossible" actor Henry Czerny, exciting newcomers set to join the cast include Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Cary Elwes, Indira Varma, and more.

Unfortunately, we have plenty more time to look forward and anticipate the much-delayed return of one of the best action franchises in all of entertainment right now. Keep those fingers crossed that this will be the last time we have to cover news like this.