Mission: Impossible 6 release still on track despite Tom Cruise's broken ankle

Tom Cruise's broken ankle will not hinder the 2018 release of Mission: Impossible 6, according to movie studio bosses.

Production on the latest action thriller sequel has been shut down after Tom sustained an injury while performing a stunt in London on Sunday (13Aug17).

The actor slammed into a wall after mistiming a building jump stunt, and Paramount Pictures officials have since confirmed he cracked his ankle in the incident.

Filming is expected to be halted for up to nine weeks as Tom rests, but while the setback will reportedly cost the studio millions in production costs, Paramount bosses are determined to stick to the project's planned July, 2018 release.

A statement issued by movie representatives reads: "During production on the latest Mission: Impossible film, Tom Cruise broke his ankle while performing a stunt. Production will go on hiatus while Tom makes a full recovery, and the film remains on schedule to open July 27, 2018.

"Tom wants to thank you all for your concern and support and can't wait to share the film with everyone next summer."

The London shoot was the latest on location stint for the M:I6 cast and crew - director Christopher McQuarrie had already filmed scenes in France and New Zealand, and teased fans about Cruise performing a series of death-defying stunts for the latest installment of the hit franchise.

Cruise is no stranger to big action sequences - he previously impressed fans in 2011's Ghost Protocol, when the actor climbed to the top of Dubai's sky-rise Burj Khalifa tower - the tallest building in the world, while in 2015's Rogue Nation, he strapped himself to an airplane during take-off.

The new film also features Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Angela Bassett, and Alec Baldwin.