Filming of Tom Cruise’s latest ‘Mission Impossible’ film in the UK has been halted due to a transatlantic strike by Hollywood actors.
The set at Longcross Studios in Surrey now appears deserted, coming as a major blow to producers who are hoping to release Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two on June 28th next year.
It’s set to come less than 12 months after Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which has garnered rave reviews since its release on Wednesday. Cruise even spotted mocking popcorn while watching himself play IMP agent Ethan Hunt.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra) began striking Thursday after their demands for higher wages and protections from artificial intelligence were not met.
This prompted the star cast of upcoming Christopher Nolan epic Oppenheimer to leave the film’s UK premiere in London, while filming on Ariana Grande’s latest film Wicked and Ryan Reynolds Deadpool 3 has also been halted.
Rising star Brian Cox has warned that Hollywood’s biggest stars “may have to face the abyss”.
Filming of Tom Cruise’s latest ‘Mission Impossible’ film in the UK has been halted due to a transatlantic strike by Hollywood actors. Pictured: Tom Cruise and film director Christopher McQuarrie
The disruption came after members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television (Sag-Aftra) began striking Thursday. Pictured: Longcross Studios in Surrey
The set at Longcross Studios in Surrey now appears deserted, coming as a major blow to producers who are hoping to release Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two on June 28th next year
Succession star Brian Cox has warned it could be a long time before productions start filming again
It’s not yet clear when filming for the second part of the film will resume at Longcross Studios. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One hit theaters on Wednesday
“It’s a situation that can get really awkward and could last for some time,” the Emmy-winning actor told Sky News.
Most of the filming of the second part of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning has been completed, but the main scene has not yet been shot.
Director Christopher McQuarrie told Collider at the premiere of the first part of the film, “We shot all but one of our international locations.”
“We shot our big action, except for the biggest stage act, the central stage act of the film, which is massive and unlike anything we’ve done before and, I think, unlike anything you’ve seen before. “
Cruise and Co. also had difficulties with the shooting of the first film due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest break comes after Oppenheimer cast members, including Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh, were visibly emotional after leaving the film’s premiere early.
Director Nolan later said that the cast members left the event to “write their picket signs.”
Hollywood is likely to grind to a halt for some time as unions asked their members to walk away over a long-running dispute.
STOPPED: Deadpool 3 has been shut down due to the SAG/AFTRA strike. Filming on the sequel, starring Ryan Reynolds in the title role and Hugh Jackman as X-Men superhero Wolverine, has wrapped up
Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman can be seen filming Deadpool 3 on July 12th
Just two days earlier, the stars filmed a fight scene in front of the same 20th Century Fox logo
Filming on Ariana Grande’s latest movie, Wicked, has been halted due to a transatlantic cast strike. Dramatic photos show the abandoned set in Buckinghamshire
In April, numerous people were seen on the set of “Wicked”. The set is deserted this week
Pop star Grande will play heroine Glinda the Good in the upcoming film. Above: Grande on the set of Wicked in June
Filming for Gladiator 2, which began in June, is also taking place partly in the UK, as well as in Malta and Morocco, and could therefore be affected. Above: The Gladiator is set in Morocco
The move could delay blockbuster release dates in the UK as filming on the Buckinghamshire set of ‘Wicked’ has already halted this week while ‘Deadpool 3’, ‘Beetlejuice 2’, ‘Speak No Evil’ and now ‘Mission Impossible’ all have to be moved.
Shawn Levy’s Deadpool 3, starring Ryan Reynolds in the title role and Hugh Jackman in the role of his X-Men character Wolverine, was only filmed on Wednesday – but days later the set was empty.
The strike came after Sag-Aftra announced it had voted for action after a deadline for an agreement had expired.
Due to the strike rules, all members are unable to film a film or TV series – meaning almost every show and film currently in the works will be postponed indefinitely until the issue is resolved.
US broadcasters have responded to the strike by expanding the amount of “unwritten content” for their fall programming, including The Masked Singer, The Amazing Race, Survivor and Kitchen Nightmares.
UK union Equity, Sag-aftra’s sister organisation, said in a statement it was “fully behind” its US counterpart.
But they said they had been advised the action was not lawful under UK law, meaning any artist who joins the strike or refuses to cross a picket line in the UK will have no protection if production companies pick them up fired or sued for copyright infringement.
Sag-Aftra represents more than 160,000 film actors, broadcast journalists, announcers, hosts and stunt performers.
Funny moments: Tom Cruise happily sipped on some popcorn while watching his portrayal of Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One this week
Most of the filming of the second part of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning has been completed, but the main scene has not yet been shot
Greg Tarzan Davis, Shea Whigham, Henry Czerny, Pom Klementieff, Hayley Atwell, Cary Elwes, Tom Cruise, Vanessa Kirby, Christopher McQuarrie, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Rebecca Ferguson and Mariela Garriga at the July 10 premiere
The strike will only affect the union’s 65,000 actors from TV and film productions.
Wicked’s release date is set for November next year, meaning the production halt could push that back.
The next Avatar movie is set to hit theaters in December 2025 and could therefore also be affected, although filming has already wrapped up.
Speak No Evil is slated for release next August, while Beatlejuice 2 is due out in September 2024.
Other films currently filming in the UK include The Radleys, Amateur and the romantic comedy The Gorge, starring Anya Taylor-Joy.
Filming for Gladiator 2, which began in June, is also taking place partly in the UK, as well as in Malta and Morocco, and could therefore be affected.
A number of TV series filmed in the UK could also be affected, including spy thriller The Day Of The Jackal, starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, and historical boxing drama A Thousand Blows, starring Stephen Graham.
The second season of “The Sandman” with Tom Sturridge and the fourth season of “Slow Horses” with Oscar winner Gary Oldman could also be affected.
Leave! Stars like Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh were clearly emotional as they left the premiere early
According to Variety, however, filming for the second season of “House of the Dragon,” starring Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy, could continue despite the strike because the stars are working on deals governed by Equity.
Authors have been protesting outside the headquarters of companies like Disney and Netflix for 11 weeks after their demands for better pay and guarantees for the use of artificial intelligence were not met.
News of the strike comes after the US union and Hollywood studios failed to reach an agreement after more than four weeks of negotiations. Their demands included better pay and increased protection of actors’ AI rights.
Last month, Sag Aftra members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if a new deal with major studios, streamers and production companies failed to materialize.
Nearly 98 percent (97.91 percent) of the 65,000 members who cast their votes were in favour, Sag-Aftra said.
Announcing the strike at a news conference on Thursday, Sag-Aftra President Fran Drescher made an impassioned speech in which she said it was a “very landmark hour” for the union.
“The gravity of this move hasn’t escaped me … it’s a very serious matter affecting thousands if not millions of people.”
“This is a moment in history that is a moment of truth.” If we don’t stand firm now, we will all be in trouble.
‘The template is up AMPTP, we stand tall, you need to wake up and smell the coffee.’ You cannot exist without us.’
When asked how long the strike would last, Ms Drescher said: “That’s up to you, we’re open to talks with you tonight.”
“It’s all because of their behavior. It’s up to them if they want to talk normally.”