“Mission: Impossible 7”, starring one of the highest-grossing actors in the world, Tom Cruise, 58, is reportedly living up to its name, as the latest instalment of the spy movie franchise has been plagued by delays and challenges.
Determined to see the filming through, with the release date already moved to four months later than planned, to 19 November, Cruise is continuing to be a “nightmare,” sources have been cited by The Sun as saying.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdowns and restrictions, the actor and producer had the cast and crew relocate to the Middle East for the latest run of scenes.
However, many among the team are reportedly now grumbling at the prospect of not being able to return home to their families.
“A lot of us would love to cut our losses and leave things for a while, then pick up when we can,” a source told the outlet, adding:
“But Tom is completely obsessed with finishing and nothing will stop him. He’s the most determined person. It’s impressive, but a nightmare.”
The outlet reported that after production moved from the UK to the United Arab Emirates, the absence of direct flights between the Middle East and Britain amid COVID-19 restrictions has frayed tempers.
Even if the staff were to be allowed an opportunity to grab a flight home, “red list” restrictions currently require all travellers from the UAE to the UK to self-isolate for 10 days.
Filming Mired in Challenges
According to insiders, many junior staff involved in the filming “just want to go home”.
“…The hope was that after the pre-Christmas rows and delays, filming out in the UAE would give the crew more freedom to make headway without holdups,” said the source, adding that now “this is starting to feel like a real nightmare of a production”.
“It feels like everything is against us at the moment and morale is really down,” the source was quoted as saying.
Ever since production began back in 2019, the process has been mired in delays over coronavirus restrictions.
Furthermore, recent reports have revealed Tom Cruise’s hyper-insistence on observing COVID-19 safety protocols.
Sources earlier told The Sun that five staff members had quit the set after a second meltdown by Cruise, who purportedly yelled at two people over allegedly ignoring social distancing and standing too close to each other near a computer on set.
Cruise, adamant about abiding by COVID-19 guidelines on the set, reportedly spent $700,000 of his own money to charter two cruise ships for the crew to live in, because the spy saga had to be filmed across various cities in pandemic-hit Europe.
In an earlier reported leaked rant, Tom Cruise warned that crew members would be fired if they were to violate the protocols.
"If I see you do it again, you're f***ing gone. And if anyone in this crew does it, that's it — and you too and you too. And you, don't you ever f***ing do it again", the actor said, according to the leaked audio.