Coronavirus Outbreak: Paramount Pictures pushes release dates of Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible sequels

The theatrical release of the much anticipated two chapters in actor Tom Cruise’s action franchise - Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 - has been delayed by Paramount pictures due to the COVID-19 crisis. (Click  here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak) The seventh sequel of the franchise was initially set to hit the theatres on 23 July this year which will now debut on 19 November, 2021. [caption id=“attachment_4322751” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Tom Cruise in a still from Mission: Impossible. YouTube[/caption] Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible 8, originally due in theatres on 5 August, 2022, will hit the big screens on 4 November, 2022, reported Variety. The shoot of the _Mission: Impossible 7_ was put to a pause as a precautionary measure to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The 57-year-old actor had been about to start filming in Venice, Italy, when the studio pumped the breaks in late February. 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 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. Having Christopher McQuarrie at the helm, the upcoming sequel will have the Cruise returning as the seemingly indestructible secret agent Ethan Hunt. (With inputs from agencies)