Mission: Impossible 7 — Paramount Pictures halts shooting of Tom Cruise's film in Italy due to coronavirus outbreak

Paramount Pictures on Monday halted production on the seventh _Mission: Impossible_ film due to the new virus, as Hollywood began to more drastically adapt to the growing global outbreak. Mission: Impossible 7 had been scheduled to shoot for three weeks in Venice. More than 200 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Italy, the largest number outside Asia. While most of those cases are in the neighboring Lombardy region, authorities said three people in Venice have tested positive for the virus. [caption id=“attachment_4844431” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Image via Twitter/@THR[/caption] In a statement, Paramount cited the Venetian government’s halting of public gatherings, and said it was canceling the shoot “out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew.” Paramount also on Monday postponed the Chinese release of _Sonic the Hedgehog_, which had been set for Friday. Cinemas in China have been shuttered due to the outbreak, closing down the world’s second largest box-office market. At stake is potentially hundreds of millions in ticket sales in China and elsewhere. Media stocks were among those that tumbled Monday on Wall Street as fears increased of the virus’ effect on the global economy. Last week, the James Bond film No Time to Die canceled its planned Beijing premiere and promotional tour. The film is to open in Britain and India on 2 April, and in North America on 10 April. The Walt Disney Co.’s anticipated live-action Mulan remake is also soon to open worldwide, with a particular focus on China. It’s due to open there on 27 March.