Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible 7' Halts Filming Over Positive COVID-19 Tests

Tom Cruise and his co-stars have temporarily stopped filming "Mission: Impossible 7" after an unknown number of individuals in the production tested positive for COVID-19.

On Thursday, Paramount Pictures released a statement announcing that at least one member of the production team tested positive for the coronavirus and that the filming schedule of "Mission: Impossible 7" will be pushed back two weeks while those infected self-isolate.

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

Before the recent positive tests, "Mission: Impossible 7," which stars Cruise as Ethan Hunt, was also previously shut down due to the pandemic. Filming was stopped in February 2020 during the coronavirus’ spread in Italy, where the action film is set, and only resumed months later in July, Us Weekly reported.

In December 2020, Cruise made headlines after an audio clip, obtained by The Sun, featured him screaming on the set and berating crew members for breaking COVID-19 safety protocols.

"I see you do it again, you're f---ing gone!" he said. "We are the gold standard!"

"They're back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we're doing. I'm on the phone with every f---ing studio at night, insurance companies, producers, and they're looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf---ers! I don't ever want to see it again. Ever!" he added.

Fans and celebrities had mixed opinions about Cruise's COVID-19 rant, with some slamming him for his angry outburst while others sided with the actor.

"Anything you see coming from Scientology and Scientologists, such as mask wearing and supposedly humanitarian efforts, is just a show. It’s for public relations reasons only," Leah Remini wrote. "Tom’s reaction that was released yesterday shows his true personality. He is an abusive person. I witnessed it, I’ve been a recipient of it on a small level, and I’ve been told of similar abuse by his former girlfriend, his employees, and his friends. This is the real Tom."

On the other hand, Whoopi Goldberg thought Cruise's reaction was justified. "It's kind of like a little bit of a middle finger" that the crew members were not doing their job, the "View" panelist said.

Cruise discussed his on-set rant during an interview with Empire magazine in May.

"I said what I said. There was a lot at stake at that point," he told the magazine. "All those emotions were going through my mind. I was thinking about the people I work with and my industry. And for the whole crew to know that we’d started rolling on a movie was just a huge relief. It was very emotional, I gotta tell you."

"Mission: Impossible 7" is slated to hit theaters on May 27, 2022.