Simon Pegg on how his role will change in future 'Mission: Impossible' films

"Mission: Impossible" star Simon Pegg says his character, Benji, has "evolved" with every film in the spy-action franchise, something he believes will follow in the upcoming seventh film.

The British actor has featured in the "MI" films alongside series lead Tom Cruise since the first film in 1996.

"(Benji) has evolved from being a lab technician who reluctantly gets involved in the action to being a fresh-faced field agent who thinks, 'Oh, this is great and fun, and I'm gonna wear a mask,' to actually experiencing what it's really about, which is not so pleasant," Pegg told The Hollywood Reporter.

The actor said he is looking forward to playing the role again "having been through what he went through on 'Fallout', which was unpleasant".

"I can see him not being quite as thrilled with the job," he added.

Cruise is reprising his role of Impossible Mission Forces (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt in the two back-to-back "MI" films, being helmed by director Christopher McQuarrie.

Pegg, 50, said it is going to be fun to play out the narratives set up by McQuarrie, who also directed the fifth ("Rogue Nation") and sixth ("Fallout").

"It's been a really long journey for him (McQuarrie); it's not about each individual film. He's tracking a journey for each of those characters, not just Ethan, but all of us," the actor added.

Recently, British actor Nicholas Hoult, who was set to play the villain in "Mission: Impossible 7", exited the project.

Esai Morales, best known for "How to Get Away With Murder" and "Ozark", will step in for "The Favourite" star.

The upcoming "MI" was among the major Hollywood projects that were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Its shooting in Italy was halted due to the disease outbreak in the country in February.

The films will also see Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby reprising their characters from the previous installments.

Newcomers include Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Shea Whigham.

The seventh and eighth chapters were scheduled to be released on July 23, 2021, and August 5, 2022, respectively.

The two sequels will now hit the theatres on November 19, 2021 and November 4, 2022.