Production on the new "Mission: Impossible" movie was shut down seven times due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday that accuses the film's insurance company of failing to pay out for all but one of the costly stoppages.
In a suit filed in California’s federal court, the studio’s lawyers claimed that Paramount had incurred severe losses and damages as it was forced to postpone and suspend the production of the movie, due to Closure Orders affecting different filming locations, cast illnesses, and the need to protect cast and crew and its locations from exposure to Covid-19. Filming on the action series starring Tom Cruise was delayed four times in Italy, and three times in the United Kingdom between February 2020 and June 2021, said the lawsuit filed by Paramount Pictures.
The studio had taken out a hefty $100 million insurance policy that was intended to cover losses when key persons related to the project, such as Tom Cruise or director Christopher McQuarrie — are unavailable due to sickness, kidnapping, or death. The studio claimed that the halt in production was due to COVID-19 should come under the insurance policy since the shutdowns were intended to protect the cast from getting sick.
Paramount said in the lawsuit that the insurance company argued there was no evidence that those cast and crew members could not continue their duties, despite being infected with COVID-19 and posing an undeniable risk to other individuals involved with the production. Meanwhile, Paramount did not say how much the shutdowns had cost but said its losses “far exceeded” the $5 million that Federal had agreed to pay for the first instance of coronavirus in February 2020.
Paramount is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
The delayed “Mission: Impossible 7” is due to be released in May 2022.
In a suit filed in California’s federal court, the studio’s lawyers claimed that Paramount had incurred severe losses and damages as it was forced to postpone and suspend the production of the movie, due to Closure Orders affecting different filming locations, cast illnesses, and the need to protect cast and crew and its locations from exposure to Covid-19. Filming on the action series starring Tom Cruise was delayed four times in Italy, and three times in the United Kingdom between February 2020 and June 2021, said the lawsuit filed by Paramount Pictures.
The studio had taken out a hefty $100 million insurance policy that was intended to cover losses when key persons related to the project, such as Tom Cruise or director Christopher McQuarrie — are unavailable due to sickness, kidnapping, or death. The studio claimed that the halt in production was due to COVID-19 should come under the insurance policy since the shutdowns were intended to protect the cast from getting sick.
Paramount said in the lawsuit that the insurance company argued there was no evidence that those cast and crew members could not continue their duties, despite being infected with COVID-19 and posing an undeniable risk to other individuals involved with the production. Meanwhile, Paramount did not say how much the shutdowns had cost but said its losses “far exceeded” the $5 million that Federal had agreed to pay for the first instance of coronavirus in February 2020.
Paramount is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
The delayed “Mission: Impossible 7” is due to be released in May 2022.
