Paramount Pictures files a US lawsuit because a Mission: Impossible 7 insurance payout falls short of losses related to Covid.
According to Paramount, filming stopped seven times during the pandemic due to reasons including UK government travel restrictions.
The firm alleges that the Federal Insurance Company only paid out a sum of $5m (£3.6m), although losses were actually far higher than that.
The Mission: Impossible movie franchise, starring Tom Cruise, is a blockbuster series for Paramount, making them hundreds of millions of dollars. For example, just on its own, Mission: Impossible Fallout took took over $791m worldwide at the box office in 2018.
However, as well as a number of other sectors, the film industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. Many cinemas all around the world were forced to close for long periods of time. On top of that, film and TV productions have encountered a lot of disruptions. Expenditure has rocketed for many, with costs for testing, protective equipment and consultants adding millions to the budget.
Mr Cruise, who is also a producer on the film, reportedly threatened crew members with dismissal if they did not take Covid protocols seriously. This followed a breach on the set of Mission: Impossible 7 in England in December.
Pauses in production
The film studio say that filming for Mission: Impossible 7 was meant to start in February 2020 in Venice. However, production shut down after someone working on the film contracted Covid. Filming moved to Rome in March, but encountered further delays due to Covid restrictions in Italy. Later that year, in October, a Covid outbreak prevented shifting back to Venice, as crew and extras tested positive for the virus.
In February 2021, filming halted in the UK after a surge in Covid cases in the country. Production then moved to Dubai. Meanwhile, plans to finish the filming in the UK faced delay because of UK government quarantine restrictions. To add to this, more positive Covid tests of cast and crew in the UK in June this year caused further problems.
Paramount claim that the insurers refused to pay out for halted production for positive tests. However, Federal Insurance Company say this is not a loss that is covered. According to Paramount, Federal say there is “no evidence that those cast and crew members could not continue their duties”. But the film studio argue that having the infection means they pose “an undeniable risk to other individuals involved with the production”.
Paramount seek a jury trial and unspecified damages. It has not revealed how much the shutdowns has actually cost them. However, it says its losses “far exceeded” the $5m Federal agreed to pay for the first coronavirus incident in February 2020.
The delayed Mission: Impossible 7 film is now due for release in May 2022.
Thank you for reading Mission Impossible 7 Covid shutdown prompts lawsuit
Looking for additional living space or somewhere quiet to work from home? Look no further – Log cabins at affordable prices.