Although it will be delayed, fans of Mission: Impossible could expect two more movies from the franchise in the coming years. However, none of the two will involve filming in outer space.
Mission: Impossible 7 director Christopher McQuarrie appeared in Light the Fuse podcast 100th episode along with cast member Simon Pegg and franchise newcomer Hayley Atwell to discuss the upcoming sequel. McQuarrie revealed that they decided to make two more movies instead of just one.
He explained that when they are doing the script for M:I 7, they realized that they have a movie that runs for two hours and 40 minutes. They couldn't cut any scenes because all are necessary to the story. So they decided to remove a couple of segments from the M:I 7 story and make another sequel.
McQuarrie, however, confirmed that none of the upcoming Mission: Impossible sequels will be filmed at the International Space Station. The screenwriter/filmmaker denied that he has knowledge about Tom Cruise's project with NASA.
"Am I involved in that movie? There's absolutely nothing I can tell you about that movie...What is happening in 7 and 8 is so insane that we don't need to go to space," he assured.
NASA confirmed last week that they would be working with Cruise in his upcoming movie that will, reportedly, shoot at the ISS. McQuarrie said he is not surprised to hear that the Top Gun actor would be filming in ISS as Cruise is known for pushing himself to go extreme when it comes to his movies.
Meanwhile, McQuarrie also teased that aside from Atwell, there is one major casting that hasn't been revealed yet. He said they have been in talks with an actor before the production of M:I 7 halted because of the coronavirus pandemic.
McQuarrie did not reveal the name of the actor but teased that he is one of those that he is excited to work with. He added that he doesn't know where the talk is at the moment. But if the actor signed up for Mission: Impossible 7, McQuarrie said it would be an "incredibly exciting casting coup."
Aside from new cast members, the filmmaker also confirmed several characters from the previous M:I movies who will return in the upcoming seventh installment. Ving Rhames (Luther), Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa), and Vanessa Kirby (Alana) will all return as well as Henry Czerny, who played the role of Eugene Kittridge in 1996 Mission: Impossible.
The release date of Mission: Impossible 7 has already been delayed since its production has been shut down. It was originally set to drop next year in cinemas worldwide but has been pushed back to November 2021.
The seventh installment of the franchise was supposed to start filming in Venice in February but it was shut down. The team moved to Rome, but it has been shut down as well.
