22 May – The Tom Cruise-starring "Mission: Impossible" franchise has welcomed another actor to the cast, this time in the form of 57-year-old Esai Morales. As reported by Deadline, the American actor will be playing the villain role in "Mission: Impossible 7".
Hoult was cast for the role last January. Production on the seventh instalment of the franchise was about to begin in Italy when it was halted in late February, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, filming is only expected to start either in late summer or early fall. The delay is causing a clash in Hoult's filming schedule, which leads to his departure from the spy action franchise. "Mission: Impossible 7", to be helmed by returning director Christopher McQuarrie, will see Tom Cruise reprising his starring role as Ethan Hunt. Originally scheduled for release in North American cinemas on 23 July 2021, it was reported late last month that it has been moved to 19 November 2021. The shift also impacted the release date of the eighth instalment, which has to be re-dated from 5 August 2022 to 4 November 2022.