Mission: Impossible 7 production halted due to coronavirus

Production on 'Mission: Impossible 7' has been halted temporarily after at least one crew member tested positive for coronavirus.

Paramount Pictures have confirmed that work on the latest movie in the Tom Cruise-led action franchise has been put on hold until later this month as a result of the COVID-19 case.

A Paramount spokesperson said: "We have temporarily halted production on 'Mission: Impossible 7' until June 14th, due to positive coronavirus results during routine testing.

"We are following all safety protocols and will continue to monitor the situation."

'Mission: Impossible 7' is slated for release in May 2022 but has already suffered delays to production as a result of the global health crisis, although Tom recently opened up about the importance of getting back on set as soon as possible because he is "responsible for tens of thousands of jobs".

The 58-year-old actor – who plays agent Ethan Hunt in the series – said: "I’ve produced 30 to 40 movies. I am responsible for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of jobs. All my friends in the industry, people that are in distribution, and my crew were like, 'What are we going to do? I could lose my house!'

"So I told the studio and I told the industry, 'We’re going back. We’re going to get everyone back to work. We're going to start shooting in the summer. And we’re going to figure out how to do it safely.'"

Meanwhile, it was reported that the set in Yorkshire had been plagued by thrill-seekers trying to climb the vast quarry in which the cast - that also includes Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby - act out the dramatic stunts.

A movie insider said: "The set is so large and open that it has been impossible to close it all off.

"So trespassers have been getting in and attempting to scale the rigs and equipment set up for the stunts."