Coronavirus: Mission Impossible to resume UK production after Tom Cruise steps in

Select group of blockbuster US films and TV shows now exempt from British quarantine rules and can begin shooting

Tom Cruise will be able to continue shooting Mission Impossible 7 and 8. (Chiabella James/Paramount Pictures and Skydance via AP)

A handful of blockbuster film and TV productions will be exempt from strict UK quarantine laws and be allowed to get production under way this summer.

Among them will be Mission Impossible 7 and 8, which will be shot at England's Warner Bros Studio. The announcement that select American productions can resume followed a conversation between Hollywood actor and Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise and the UK's culture minister.

Jurassic Park: Dominion starring Chris Pratt is also expected to begin shooting at Pinewood Studios

Culture Minister Oliver Dowden said the news would be a vital boost for the UK’s ailing economy.

“We want the industry to bounce back and exempting small numbers of essential cast and crew from quarantine is part of our continued commitment to getting cameras rolling safely again,” he said.

“This is welcome news not just for film lovers but the thousands employed across the screen industries and the sectors it supports,” he added.

Those exempt include producers, directors and the actors and actresses, who will live and work in controlled “bubbled” environments behind closed doors. Strict safety protocols will need to be put into place.

The UK government said the news recognised that production companies and studios had developed practical solutions for safe working.

Ben Roberts, chief executive of the British Film Institute, said the industry is worth £9.9 billion (Dh41.1bn) to Britain’s economy and employs 77,000 production workers.

He said it “means that film and television productions that are reliant on international talent will be able to go ahead, generating jobs and securing a pipeline of new work for those working across the wider industry”.

The development is also positive news for high-level sporting events that now will be able to take place including the British Grand Prix, Champions League and Europa League football, the PGA British Masters Championship and the World Snooker Championship among others.

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