Tom Cruise films Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible 7 are facing release date delays. This is because of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the US caused by the Delta variant.
The Paramount movie studio is concerned that the highly contagious variant will put cinemagoers off from going to watch the film.
The Top Gun sequel is pushed back by six months for release in May 2022. Meanwhile, the new Mission: Impossible film is moved from May next year to September. The studio are also delaying the release of Jackass Forever by four months. The latest in the comedy franchise starring Johnny Knoxville is now scheduled for release next February.
Top Gun: Maverick is a sequel to the highly successful action original from 1986. Tom Cruise is reprising his role as US Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Joining him in the cast is Val Kilmer, Miles, Teller and Jennifer Connelly.
The seventh instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise sees Cruise taking on the lead role again as special agent Ethan Hunt. Starring alongside him are Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell and Vanessa Kirby.
The impact of Covid
According to official figures, the average number of daily Covid cases in the US earlier this week was 160,041.
Both Tom Cruise films have suffered from repeated delays because of the pandemic.
UK production on Mission: Impossible 7 shutdown for two weeks in June due to members of the crew testing positive for Covid. Last year, a recording emerged of Cruise, who is also working as a producer on the action spy series, of him shouting at workers on set. He apparently threatened to fire them if they didn’t take take Covid restrictions seriously and broke guidelines.
Several other blockbusters were also delayed or shifted to streaming services instead as a result of the pandemic. However, some such as Black Widow, Suicide Squad and Fast & Furious 9 finally hit cinemas earlier this year.
Following uncertainty about whether the next James Bond film would face a fourth postponement, the studio has now committed to a release date. And there’s not long to wait now, as the film will finally hit cinemas on 30 September.
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