Mission Impossible 8 Gets Promising Update Amid Delays: When Will It Release?

July’s Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One ended on something of a cliffhanger, so when will the Mission Impossible 8 arrive in theaters?

Paramount’s venerable Mission: Impossible franchise has everything action movie fans could want: Death-defying chase scenes, high-stakes storytelling, and mind-boggling stunts personally performed by lead Tom Cruise.

At last check, the scheduled release of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two is in flux due to the Hollywood strikes, which forced production on the film to grind to a halt. SAG-AFTRA, however, is currently in negotiations with the studios, which could spell an imminent end to the work stoppage.

Dead Reckoning Part Two’s Production Is of Chief Concern

According to a report from The Wrap, resuming production on Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two is a “high priority” for Paramount once the SAG-AFTRA strike reaches a conclusion. Surely an encouraging sign.

The outlet also noted that due to the strikes, a backlog of movies that were in production prior to the strikes has accumulated.

When Will Mission: Impossible 8 Release?

So, when will Mission Impossible 8 actually hit cinemas? Well, it’s difficult to say for sure. 

Previously, director Christopher McQuarrie stated (via Collider) that much of filming was already complete before stopping in July, and that the current plan is to be finished near the beginning of 2024:

“It's a big challenge, and it's a tight schedule. The plan to be wrapped for all principal photography is early next year."

Over three months of lost production time will undoubtedly force the movie to vacate its original release slot of June 28, 2024. From there, a late 2024 or even 2025 date would be likely.

In the Mission: Impossible series’ seventh film, Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt and his fellow agents from the IMF were on a frantic search for how to control a dangerous, sentient artificial intelligence called The Entity.

Hunt ultimately managed to obtain both halves of the AI’s key with the help of his associates after a thrilling action sequence aboard a speeding train. And that’s essentially where the movie ends.

Presumably, the next adventure, should Hunt choose to accept it, will center on the quest to either take command of the Entity or destroy it entirely.

Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, and Ving Rhames are all expected to return for the sequel alongside Tom Cruise.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is now available for purchase on digital video-on-demand, while the Blu-ray is out on Tuesday, October 31.