Coronavirus halts filming of 'Mission: Impossible VII'
Production on the latest film in the 'Mission: Impossible' series starring Tom Cruise has been stopped in Italy following outbreak of coronavirus cases, US media reported Monday.According to entertainment specialist The Wrap, the seventh instalment of the Paramount Pictures franchise was scheduled to shoot in Venice for three weeks.
"Out of a good amount of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the neighborhood Venetian government to prevent public gatherings in response to the risk of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three-week shoot in Venice," a Paramount spokesperson said in a statement to The Wrap.The spokesperson added that Cruise hadn't traveled to Italy, and that crew members were permitted to return home until production started.
Italy reported its seventh death from the new coronavirus Monday, but officials needed calm and reported a lesser rise in the quantity of infections after a spike over the weekend.The quantity of cases now stood at 229, the top of Italy's civil protection department Angelo Borelli said at a press conference on Monday evening, the highest number in Europe.
In addition to 'MI7', the spread of the virus has disrupted high-profile events including Milan Fashion Week and the Venice Carnival. On Monday evening, sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora announced that six Serie A football matches will be played nowadays. 'Mission: Impossible VII' arrives in theaters on July 23, 2021.
