Mission Impossible 7 Accused Of Using Underpaid Labor Crews

The upcoming seventh installment of the highly popular Mission: Impossible franchise has been accused of underpaying its labor crews. As Mission: Impossible 7 resumes production, this latest controversy could spell trouble for the Tom Cruise thriller.

It’s certainly been a long and exhaustive road for the famed espionage franchise. Initially, the most difficult thing about making a new Mission: Impossible film was the decision by director Christopher McQuarrie to shoot parts 7 and 8 back-to-back. A definite challenge for any filmmaker and crew, things quickly became far more complex when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a lengthy delay in production. Fortunately, though the pandemic continues to affect millions globally, Mission: Impossible 7 recently resumed production in England. It wasn’t long before more problems challenged things once again, though, as news that the production planned to blow up an actual historical bridge in Poland raised the ire of locals in the town of Pilchowice. McQuarrie later made efforts to clarify the issue, providing some context and counter-arguments to the stunt’s specifics.

Now, however, Mission: Impossible 7 once again finds itself in a precarious situation. As Variety reports, the production has shifted to Norway until the end of September. Tom Cruise has reportedly shelled out for two Norwegian cruise ships tallying a whopping $666,568 (USD). Apparently, the ships will be used to house the production’s crew, but according to two Norwegian unions, Fellesforbundet and Sjømannsforbundet, Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten (who owns the cruise ships in question), has violated the Immigration Act. The unions allege that Filipino workers on board are only being paid $3.30/hr (USD) for their labor. Fellesforbundet leader Jørn Eggum stated:

“It is not okay to use a ship that is to go in international shipping as a hotel in Stryn, close your eyes, and hope no one will find out that the employees are not close to the pay and working conditions that are statutory.”

These are very serious allegations, for which Cruise, McQuarrie, and Hurtigruten must answer. It’s not hard to believe that a tactic such as docking in international shipping in order to avoid scrutiny of wages could be used to subvert labor laws. However, the idea of it happening on a production as big as Mission: Impossible might be hard for some to believe. With the film’s budget obviously having grown due to COVID interruptions, it is indeed plausible that McQuarrie and co. were looking for ways to cut corners financially. But even if this is the case, it doesn’t excuse taking advantage of foreign laborers. The incident isn’t the first involving a Hollywood production and questionable labor practices. Back in 2016, R-rated animated feature Sausage Party was at the center of a controversy involving unpaid overtime wages.

Because this current incident has been brought to light by a Norwegian union, there exists a far greater likelihood that the allegations are true. Had the news broken through a former crewmember or an anonymous source, the issue could more easily be disregarded as hearsay. Exactly what happens next remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain – if the allegations are proven, Mission: Impossible 7 has even more work to do to keep this troubled production from sinking.