The next installment in the very popular Mission Impossible franchise has added a new cast member to the film. However, this was at the cost of one the newcomers to the franchise that this actor is replacing. Today Paramount announced that Nicholas Hoult has dropped the project and will be replaced by Esai Morales in Mission Impossible 7 .

Hoult was initially cast to play the film’s main antagonist, and considering the next two installments are expected to be filmed back to back, it’s likely he would have returned for the 8th film as well. The reasoning for the Mad Max: Fury Road star stepping out of the series was due to other commitments. The filming for Mission Impossible 7 was initially set for earlier this year, but was ultimately delayed due to COVID-19. Nicholas Hoult was already contracted to work on other films during the time of Mission Impossible 7‘s expected start date, which is still to be determined given the pandemic. The role will now be fulfilled by La Bamba and Ozark star Esai Morales.

While it is disappointing that Nicholas Hoult will not be a part of Ethan Hunt’s next mission, Esai Morales seems to be a fairly decent replacement. Interesting to note that the age difference between Hoult and Morales is quite drastic despite the recasting of the same character. It is unclear how soon shooting will happen for the upcoming action film, especially with the film’s original release date change from July 2021 to November 2021.  Hopefully once the pandemic settles and Paramount can get the film into production again, the wait will be worth it for fans eagerly awaiting Ethan Hunt’s next adventure.

Mission Impossible 7 is set for release November 19, 2021