PRODUCTION on the new “Mission: Impossible” movie was shut down seven times due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a lawsuit filed Monday that accuses the film’s insurance company of failing to pay out for all but one of the costly stoppages. 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 in U.S. federal court in California. The stoppages were caused by positive COVID-19 tests among members of the cast or crew, or quarantine or lockdowns imposed in countries where the thriller was being filmed. The lawsuit accuses Indiana-based Federal Insurance Company of breach of contract, saying it has agreed only to pay out US$5 million for the first stoppage. Federal Insurance did not immediately return a request for comment. Cruise, who is also a producer on the film, lost his temper on the set of “Mission: Impossible 7” in England in December over a breach in COVID-19 protocols, threatening to fire cast and crew members who did not take them seriously. “Mission: Impossible” is one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood, with 2018’s “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” taking more than US$791 million at the worldwide box office. (SD-Agencies) | 