Deadline is reporting that due to scheduling conflicts, actor Nicholas Hoult is dropping out of the next two Mission: Impossible films. Although his role in the film is unknown (rumors are that he was cast as the sequel’s big bad), it conflicts with him shooting the second season of the Hulu series The Great, which unfortunately has forced him to drop out of the film.
Hoult has been replaced by someone who in my opinion I think is a far better choice — actor Esai Morales. M:I 7 and 8 were supposed to begin shooting back in March of this year in Italy, but due to that bitch Miss Rona, production shut down before cameras began rolling.
The picture was scheduled to be released on July 23, 2021, but that seems like a mission impossible because of COVID-19 holding Hollywood hostage at the moment. The seventh film has been pushed for a November 19, 2021 release. The eighth entry has also been delayed and will hit the big screen on Nov. 4, 2022. The entire franchise through six movies has amassed over $3.57 billion for Paramount.
While I am curious to see what Nicholas would have brought as the villain in the 7th and 8th installment, I think Esai is more of a convincing match for Tom Cruise. Don’t get me wrong I think Nicholas is a good actor, and there are films he’s been in that I have enjoyed. But I’ve been a fan of Esai since he starred in Bad Boys with Sean Penn. I also thought he was great in the first season of Ozark and most recently, How To Get Away With Murder.
I also didn’t start liking the M:I films until writer/director Christopher McQuarrie came on board (he’s writing 7 &8, and previously wrote and directed Fallout and Rogue Nation), so I’m just going to trust whatever decisions he makes in regards to the casting.
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