Tom Cruise pay dispute halts ‘Mission: Impossible’ production

A dispute over salary between actor Tom Cruise and production banner Paramount Pictures has reportedly halted pre-production on the upcoming sixth instalment of the popular Mission: Impossible series.

The studio, which is co-financing the movie with Skydance Media, is preparing for a January 2017 production start.

According to multiple sources, one of the points of contention is Cruise’s back-end profit participation, with the star looking to match or exceed what he is getting paid by Universal for starring in The Mummy, which he is currently shooting in London.

This is the second hiccup this summer for Mission: Impossible 6. In July, the project threatened to fall apart over what one source said was script issues. That obstacle pushed a November start into the new year.

Mission: Impossible 6 is yet to receive a release date.