Despite early speculation that Mission Impossible 7 was set to shoot scenes in Dubai, it appears the action thriller will instead resume production in Abu Dhabi.
Confirming The National's investigation into the clues that suggested production was likely to take place in the UAE capital, director Christopher McQuarrie has confirmed he is currently in the emirate.
The filmmaker, who is helming the seventh chapter in the popular franchise, shared a photograph of a foggy Abu Dhabi to his Instagram on Thursday morning.
The distinctive headquarters of Adnoc can be glimpsed in the foreground, meaning McQuarrie must have taken the snap from close to the Corniche.
"Tom's going to jump off one of those buildings isn't he?" joked one Instagram commenter, while another added: "The modern myths say that Ethan Hunt leapt each building in a single bound after learning how to walk on the clouds."
Despite Covid-19 delays, the Mission Impossible franchise is currently shooting episodes seven and eight back-to-back, with confirmed locations including Norway, London, Rome and Venice.
Last week, an on-set source told The Sun that the shoot was about to restart in Dubai. Neither the Abu Dhabi Film & TV Commission, Film & TV Commission or twofour54 has yet confirmed or denied rumours of the UAE shoot.
'Mission Impossible' in the UAE
This is not the first Mission Impossible film that will be shot, in part, in the UAE.
In 2011, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol scenes were filmed in Dubai. Cruise performed his own stunts on the Burj Khalifa and later posed for a photo at the very top of the world's tallest building.
Of filming the edge-of-your-seat scene, Cruise said in 2011: "The first moment on the Burj, when I saw the rope, I remember just thinking this is – this is – the moment of truth ... There’s one thing seeing it and another thing trying to accomplish that. I remember that I didn’t quite make it the first time and came slamming into the building."
Scroll through the gallery below for more photos of Tom Cruise on the 'Mission Impossible 7' set in Italy:
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