New character details have surfaced for Mission: Impossible 7, providing a little more insight into the roles that actors Hayley Atwell and Nicholas Hoult will play in the upcoming film.

The information comes from The Illuminerdi, who reports that Atwell and Hoult’s characters will play important roles in Mission: Impossible 7 and 8. Atwell’s character goes by the name of Lambert and is reported to be the aid to the big bad, Rollin Hand. She is described as being “tenacious and a bit of a bruiser.”

Hoult was originally thought to be Rollin Hand, however, the report suggests that this is not the case. According to casting for Rollin Hand, the film was looking for a male actor in his 50’s to late 70’s. Shea Whigham, who appears closer in appearance to the description than Hoult, is rumored to fill this role. Based on casting information The Illuminerdi obtained, Hoult will still portray an antagonist in the upcoming film. His character will appear in both 7 and 8, but his villainous role is not yet fully disclosed.

Currently, the production of Mission: Impossible 7 has been halted due to the spread of the coronavirus in Venice, Italy, where the film was originally supposed to shoot for three weeks. It is currently uncertain how this delay will change production plans.

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible 7 stars Tom Cruise, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham and Nicholas Hoult. The film arrives in theaters July 23, 2021. [Source]

Last week, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie announced that Hayley Atwell, best known for her time as Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will be joining the Mission: Impossible franchise, which Atwell confirmed soon after. At the time, it was unclear if she was only appearing in Mission: Impossible 7 or if she’d also be present in Mission: Impossible 8, but now the actress has set the record straight and declared it’s the latter.

Hayley Atwell turned to Instagram to inform the masses that she’ll be in both of the next Mission: Impossible movies, adding the following about getting to work with Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise:

To have gone from a classical play in the west-end to an audio book recording of a great new novel to a Disney/Marvel animation and now the female lead in a huge action franchise is the kind of variety that fuels my curiosity and keeps me learning and striving to be better and do better. I can’t wait to start sharing this adventure with you. Mostly in the form of effusive, sweaty ranting about stunt training while spontaneously vomiting with excitement/exhaustion. Lucky you.

Given how well-known Hayley Atwell has become this decade, it was to be expected that her role in the Mission: Impossible universe would likely be important, but that was still no guarantee that she’d be around for both movies. Now Atwell has cleared up the matter and we can look forward to her character taking part in Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8, although we’re still in the dark about if this individual will be an ally or enemy to Ethan Hunt.

Last year’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the most successful of the franchise so far, grossing over $791 million worldwide and earning critical acclaim. So needless to say it was expected that another Mission: Impossible movie would get the green light, but in January of this year, Paramount Pictures announced that Christopher McQuarrie would return to make two more Mission: Impossible sequels that will be filmed back-to-back.

Hayley Atwell is joining Tom Cruise in the upcoming installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie posted the news on his Instagram account, writing “Should you choose to accept…” and a photo of Atwell, referencing the famous recurring “Mission: Impossible” quote.

Cruise will return as the seemingly indestructible secret agent Ethan Hunt for two more “Mission: Impossible” movies. Paramount has dated the seventh film for July 23, 2021, while an eighth installment will be released on Aug. 5, 2022.

McQuarrie is on board to direct both films. He previously directed 2015’s “Rogue Nation” and 2018’s “Fallout,” which was the best performer of the franchise with $791.1 million globally. The six films in the series have combined for $3.57 billion in worldwide box office. After years of switching up the director to give a new feel to each installment, Cruise and Paramount settled on McQuarrie as the primary director.

Atwell has gained prominence for her role as Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with “Captain America: The First Avenger” and including the “Agent Carter” series, “Ant-Man,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Avengers: Endgame.” She also has credits on “Cinderella,” “Christopher Robin” and “Blinded by the Light.” [Source]