'Mission: Impossible 7' plans to resume filming in September

June 2 (UPI) -- The cast and crew of Mission: Impossible 7 plan to resume filming in September.

First assistant director Tommy Gormley said Tuesday on BBC Radio 4's Today that the film, starring Tom Cruise, is slated to start shooting again in September and wrap filming by May 2021.

Mission: Impossible 7 shut down production in February due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The movie was to begin filming in Venice, Italy.

"We hope to start shooting again in September," Gormley told Today. "We were days from shooting in Venice -- we were right at the epicenter when it all kicked off -- so we had to shut down in Venice where we were four or five days from shooting."

"We hope to restart in September, we hope to visit all the countries we planned to and look to do a big chunk of it back in the UK on the backlot and in the studio, so September through to end April/May is our targets. We are convinced we can do this," he added.

Simon Pegg, who plays Benji Dunn in the Mission: Impossible films, confirmed a planned September start to Variety.

"That will begin with the outdoor stuff," the actor said. "That feels fairly doable, and obviously there will be precautions put in place."

"People that are involved in any close proximity stuff, it will have to be determined that they're safe to do that. I don't know what the testing situation is, how that works, or whether they'll be able to be tested regularly," he added.

The British Film Commission published guidelines Monday for safe film and high-end TV production during the health crisis.

Cruise is also attached to star in the first narrative feature film to be shot in space. The movie will be directed by Doug Liman.