Shea Whigham joins next 'Mission: Impossible' movie

Actor Shea Whigham has boarded the cast of Tom Cruise's next "Mission: Impossible" film. The 50-year-old actor is best known for portraying Agent Michael Stasiak in "Fast & Furious" series. He has appeared in films such as "Silver Linings Playbok", "Kong: Skull Island" and most recently in an episode of Amazon show "Modern Love".

The news of his casting was shared by Christopher McQuarrie, who is returning to direct the two back-to-back instalments of the long-running franchise.

"You won't see him coming... #MI78," the filmmaker tweeted, hinting that the actor will appear in both the films.

McQuarrie became the only director in the franchise's history to return for a second time with 2018 film "Fallout" after 2015's "Rogue Nation", is writing the script of the new movies as well.

Cruise, who has earned a reputation for his death-defying stunts in "Mission Impossible" films, will reprise his iconic role of Ethan Hunt.

Actors Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson are expected to reprise their respective characters in the new movie.

The newcomers in the franchise also includes Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff, who joined the cast recently in undiclosed roles.

Paramount will release the next "Mission: Impossible" film for July 23, 2021, while the eighth instalment will bow out on August 5, 2022.