Paramount has shut down the production of "Mission Impossible 7" in Venice, Italy. Fears over the recent coronavirus, have crossed over Italy and have led to the local government to shut down public gatherings in the community, which includes movie shoots.

"Mission Impossible 7" under the working title of "Libra" is the latest entry into the popular Paramount Pictures franchise. Christopher McQuarrie is returning to direct his third "Mission Impossible," film. The studio is filming the seventh and eighth film back to back. The eighth film will be released a year after "Libra." Filming was scheduled to begin this week, but will now have to wait.

As production gets underway, Paramount announced the return of a character we have not seen since the original "Mission Impossible," 25 years ago. Henry Czerny is returning as former IMF head Kittridge. Hayley Atwell is joining the franchise and will appear in both "Libra" and the following film.

Paramount facing the fallout of coronavirus

Deadline reports that the studio has halted production in Venice. Paramount released a statement saying production members are being allowed to return home, leading to the possibility that the Venice shoot may be canceled. Tom Cruise was not in Italy at the time filming was stopped. As fans know, Cruise is very involved when it comes to production, and has been preparing for some dangerous stunts for the upcoming double film shoot.

The studio has not made any changes to the planned release date of July 23, 2021.

As the Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the globe, it has begun to strangle Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Several Movies premieres have been canceled or even pushed back indefinitely, including the upcoming 007 film "No Time to Die," and Paramount's "Sonic." The gaming industry is also starting to feel the effects of the coronavirus.

Cinemas in China are continuing to see a massive decline because of the outbreak, forcing the second-largest box office in the world to temporarily shut down.

'Mission Impossible' franchise not a stranger to delays

Paramount has not said when production would restart. The "Mission Impossible" films have become one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood.

"Mission Impossible: Fallout" managed to bring in more than $791 million at the global box-office. This is not the only time the franchise has faced delays. "Mission Impossible - Fallout," was forced to temporarily stop production after an incident resulted in Tom Cruise breaking his leg. That film never had to alter its position on the release calendar and was then released by Paramount.

The third film faced a year-long delay after the original director exited the project over creative differences. Tom Cruise ended up filming "World of the Worlds" before a director was even found for "MI3." Fans will have to wait and see how this plays out and how long the delay will be. The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the globe.
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