The director confirmed rumors that the shoot has been relocated to Abu Dhabi…

Film fans, keep your eyes peeled in the capital. Some of the world’s biggest stars may be doing the rounds in Abu Dhabi, as ‘Mission Impossible 7′ relocates to the UAE.

Following rumours that filming may be relocating to Dubai, film director Christopher McQuarrie has all but confirmed that the shoot has relocated to the UAE, posting a birds’ eye view of a fog-shrouded Abu Dhabi on his Instagram account.

Filming is currently underway for the seventh installment of the action blockbuster. The crew have been shooting episodes seven and eight back-to-back, ahead of expected release dates in the summer of 2021 and 2022, with London, Norway, Rome and Venice among the confirmed locations.

The shift to the UAE has come as something of a surprise, although The Sun foreshadowed it last week, when they quoted an on-set source as saying: “Shooting will resume in the UK later this week before it goes off to Dubai”. Locally, The National also picked up on the clues.

The Mission Impossible crew are no strangers to the UAE. In 2011, key scenes of ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ were shot in Dubai, including those gripping scenes on the Burj Khalifa, performed by Tom Cruise himself. The team returned to the UAE for a brief scene in ‘Mission Impossible: Fallout’.

The reappearance of the Mission Impossible brand cements the UAE’s reputation as a preferred destination for filming, with other noteworthy franchises including Star Wars and Fast and Furious shooting here.

For more cinematic inspiration in the UAE, take a peek at our guide to 10 movies that were shot in the UAE, or discover seven movies that were filmed in Abu Dhabi, with locations you can visit.