Mission: Impossible 7 – Nicholas Hoult replaced as villain in Tom Cruise film

British actor was set to appear in the action franchise sequel

Nicholas Hoult has been replaced in Mission: Impossible 7.

The British actor was set to appear opposite Tom Cruise as the main villain in the new film, but the role will now be played by Esai Morales instead.

Production on the latest instalment of the blockbuster action franchise had been scheduled to begin in Venice in March, but Paramount Pictures and Skydance shut down production due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It was this delay that caused a scheduling conflict for Hoult.

Deadline reports that the actor has a contracted slot with another unspecified film, which takes precedence over Mission: Impossible 7.

The sequel was one of the first high-profile films to suspend its production before lockdown was announced.

In a statement, Paramount Pictures said: “During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts.”

Christopher McQuarrie, who directed the previous two Mission: Impossible films, will return to direct the new outing, which recently had its release date pushed back from July 2021 to November 2021.

Morales, whose credits includes NYPD Blue, is best known for playing Camino del Rio in Netflix series Ozark.