'Mission: Impossible 7' filming paused in UK after Covid-19 cases reported on set

Production has been halted for two weeks, studio Paramount Pictures confirms

Shooting on 'Mission: Impossible 7', starring Tom Cruise, has been put on pause after Covid-19 cases were detected on the British set. AP

Production on the latest Mission: Impossible film has been shut down for two weeks, after some people working on the movie's British set tested positive for the coronavirus, Paramount Pictures said on Thursday.

The studio did not say who or how many people had tested positive for Covid-19 but The Sun newspaper reported that star Tom Cruise was not among them.

"We have temporarily halted production on Mission: Impossible 7 until June 14, due to positive coronavirus test results during routine testing. We are following all safety protocols and will continue to monitor the situation," Paramount said.

The Sun, citing unnamed sources, said 14 members of the production tested positive after shooting a nightclub scene, and that Cruise, like other people working on the set, would have to self-isolate for 14 days.

A spokesperson for Cruise, who is also a producer on the action film, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Mission: Impossible is one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood. The seventh film in the series was one of the first movies to shut down production because of the pandemic when it abandoned filming in Venice, in February 2020.

Shooting resumed last year in countries including Abu Dhabi, Norway, Italy and Britain.

In December, Cruise launched an expletive-laden rant at colleagues on set, after he reportedly spotted two crew members violating social distancing rules.

In audio released by The Sun, Cruise can be heard warning that anyone caught not following the rules to stay at least two metres away from others will be fired.

In an interview with Empire magazine last month, Cruise addressed the clip, telling the publication: "I said what I said."

“There was a lot at stake at that point. But it wasn’t my entire crew. I had the crew leave the set and it was just select people."

Mission: Impossible 7 is due to be released in May 2022.

Scroll through the gallery below to see more photos from 'Mission: Impossible 7' shooting in Rome last November: