Coronavirus halts Mission: Impossible 7 and slows down Sonic

As I’m sure everyone is aware, the world is currently in the midst of an outbreak of the coronavirus, with cases being recorded in a number of countries, including China, and Iran. In these countries, officials are working hard to contain the spread of the virus, and in some cases are having to close certain areas to the public.

One of the effected countries is Italy, which was just about to host the production team behind the Tom Cruise-starring, Mission: Impossible 7. The team were due to spend three weeks filming in Venice, but in light of the current situation these plans have now been postponed.

A spokesperson for Paramount (via The Hollywood Reporter) 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.”

Mission: Impossible 7 is being filmed back-to-back with Mission: Impossible 8, with the first film arriving in cinemas in 2021 and the second in 2022. It is believed that the hiatus will not effect the production schedule.

It is unclear what other productions will be affected by the coronavirus, and what this will mean for future releases. What is clear, is that the virus is effecting current releases, including Sonic the Hedgehog.

The film – which has already crossed $202 million according to Box Office Mojo – was due to make its cinematic debut in China this week, however, the screenings have now been put on hold. The Chinese box office is viewed as a very lucrative source of income to the movie industry, so the situation will be monitored very closely to decide if/when the film can be screened.

Read more:

• What is the best order to watch the Mission: Impossible movies?
• How many Sonic the Hedgehog games are there?
• Disney is releasing Star Wars Skywalker on Blu-ray – but it’s still not the original version