The wheels of the global entertainment industry are slowly grinding back into motion, and actors have once again started posting on social media regarding the work they're doing for upcoming projects. Rebecca Ferguson has shared a photo on Instagram where the actress is shown training with a formidable-looking sniper rifle, in preparation for her role in Mission: Impossible 7.

Rebecca Ferguson plays the part of Ilsa Faust, who has been a mainstay in the Mission Impossible franchise since her first appearance in Rogue Nation. Much like Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, Faust is an undercover agent working for the SIS/MI6. The question of Faust's loyalty has brought her into direct conflict with Hunt's team as often as she has aided them in saving the world.

Rebecca Ferguson has received wide praise for her role as the determined and quick-thinking Faust, with many fans considering her the franchise's secondary lead after Cruise. In past movies, Ferguson has been seen indulging in a series of stunts and action scenes, and if the photo is any indication, the upcoming Mission Impossible 7 will continue to place the character of Faust in new and dangerous scenarios.

A big part of the success enjoyed by the Mission Impossible series lies in the lead actor and producer Cruise's willingness to up the ante with each new installment in terms of the story's action subplots. From climbing up the side of a mountain without any gear to holding his breath underwater for six minutes to scaling the highest building in the world, Cruise's stunts for each new film in the franchise become major talking points and are an essential part of the movie's marketing scheme.

The upcoming Mission Impossible 7 will continue to push the envelope in that department, so much so that director Christopher McQuarrie had promised in a past interview that the stunts that audiences will see in the film will be even more extreme than the infamous helicopter chase scene witnessed in Mission Impossible: Fallout:

"We've figured out three obscene things that he's doing that I'm terrified of, that make the helicopter chase look like tinker toys."

Little is known about Mission Impossible 7 in terms of plot, other than the fact that it is to be split into two parts, and this may be the last time Cruise appears as Hunt in the franchise before retiring the character. Filming for the feature was shut down earlier this year due to the global lockdown and is set to restart in September provided conditions have improved enough by that time. According to reports, a great deal more of the movie is going to be shot indoors on studio lots than originally planned to reduce the possibility of risk of infection to the cast and crew.

Mission: Impossible 7 features a lead cast of Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny, Nicolas Hoult, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Shea Whigham. The film is set to arrive in theaters Nov. 19, 2021, while Mission: Impossible 8 releases on Nov. 4, 2022.