X-Men star Nicholas Hoult to be replaced by Esai Morales in Mission: Impossible 7 villain role
X-Men star Nicholas Hoult has been forced to drop out of the cast of Mission: Impossible 7 after the film was delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Back in January, the film's director Christopher McQuarrie teased that Tolkien star Hoult had signed up for the film on his Instagram page but Deadline has now reported that he is now no longer involved in the project.
According to the publication, the production delay means the project clashes with Hoult's other commitments.
Related: X-Men's Nicholas Hoult had to audition as Family Guy character for Beast
The news comes just a month after Paramount confirmed that both M:I7 and M:I8 would be delayed as a result of the current global crisis. Mission: Impossible 7 became one of the first films in Hollywood to shut down production when filming in Venice coming to a halt back in February.
The film has now lined up How to Get Away with Murder and Ozark star Esai Morales to take over the role.
While director McQuarrie hasn't yet commented on the casting switch or shared any details about the role itself, he has appeared to confirm Morales' involvement in the next two Mission: Impossible films after sharing a photo of the actor on his Instagram page.
"We all face the same fate..." he wrote, alongside the hashtag: "#MI7MI8."
We all face the same fate... #MI7MI8
A post shared by Christopher McQuarrie (@christophermcquarrie) on May 21, 2020 at 1:51am PDT
Related: Mission: Impossible director explains why current storyline was split into two movies
Tom Cruise will return as Ethan Hunt for the upcoming Mission: Impossible films, with Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby all expected to return too.
Newcomers to the franchise include Shea Whigham, Guardians of the Galaxy's Pom Klementieff and Agent Carter's Hayley Atwell, who recently teased a few details about her character.
"There's ambiguity… the interesting thing we're exploring is her resistance to a situation she finds herself in," she explained.
"How she starts off, where she becomes. The journey of what she comes into and what is asked of her and potentially where she ends up."
Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8, which are being shot back-to-back, will now be released on November 19, 2021 and November 4, 2022.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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