'Mission Impossible 7': Tom Cruise among masked cast and crew seen on set in Italy

The seventh instalment of the action movie franchise is being shot now

For many showrunners and filmmakers, shooting while adhering to social distancing regulations has been a real-life mission impossible. But it does not seem to have stopped the crew behind Mission: Impossible 7.

Tom Cruise et al have been spotted wearing masks on set, as they shoot the film in the Italian capital.

Read More

'Back to the movies': Tom Cruise makes surprise appearance at London 'Tenet' screening

Who could play Barack Obama on screen? Former president backs Drake

'The Batman' cast and crew on set in Liverpool – but how long will they be filming for?

Recent photos show a suited Cruise in Rome's Piazza di Spagna, with a bright yellow vintage car being used as a prop on set.

The cast have been shooting the film, under the working title Libra, in Italy intermittently since early October.

Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt in the action franchise. The film has been written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who directed Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the fifth and sixth films in the series. He will also direct the eighth film, which will be shot back-to-back with the seventh.

The film has faced a number of delays owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was scheduled to begin filming in Italy and England in February and March respectively, but shoots were delayed as the countries went into coronavirus lockdowns. In July, they were given permission to start filming in the UK without going through the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

At the time, UK culture minister Oliver Dowden, whose parliamentary constituency Hertsmere is home to Elstree Studios, even contacted the Mission Impossible star to reassure him.

The film is scheduled for release in November 2021.