The eighth 'Mission: Impossible' movie has already begun filming.

Tom Cruise has reprised the role of Ethan Hunt for the eighth instalment of the long-running film franchise, Collider reports.

The Hollywood star shot 'Mission: Impossible 7' amid the COVID-19 pandemic and it was originally slated to premiere on September 30, 2022. But due to problems relating to the health crisis, its release has now been pushed back until July 14, 2023.

'Mission: Impossible 7' has been made at a cost of $290 million, with tax incentives, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie will also be available on the Paramount+ streaming app just 45 days after its theatrical release.

'Mission: Impossible 8', on the other hand, was originally due to premiere on July 7, 2023 - but it's now been delayed until June 28, 2024.

The project features returning stars Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson, as well as newcomers Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, and Cary Elwes.

The timescales for the back-to-back productions were changed because of the pandemic, which created a huge amount of disruption throughout the movie industry.

Last year, Tom discussed the challenge of getting the production up and running amid the global health crisis.

The 59-year-old actor was determined to return to work, even though the pandemic threatened to derail his plans.

He said at the time: "I’ve produced 30 to 40 movies. I am responsible for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of jobs.

"All my friends in the industry, people that are in distribution, and my crew were like, ‘What are we going to do? I could lose my house!’ So I told the studio and I told the industry, ‘We’re going back. We’re going to get everyone back to work. We’re going to start shooting in the summer. And we’re going to figure out how to do it safely.'"