Tom Cruise hires hawks to stop pigeons causing chaos while filming ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ in London

Filming for the action movie franchise is under way across the UK, and recently the production turned to London's Trafalgar Square for its next high-octane film sequence.

But there was a catch – the three million pigeons that call London home, and the thousands that gather at the landmark every day.

In a bid to ensure the pigeons didn’t interfere with production, film handlers introduced hawks to discourage them from coming near.

A source told The Sun: “It was a clever move and meant the scenes were filmed without a hitch.”

Over the weekend, Cruise and his co-star Simon Pegg, who plays Benji Dunn, were seen filming a dramatic scene at London's Trafalgar Square.

In photos obtained by MailOnline, the landmark was transformed with American soldiers and police for an action-packed sequence, featuring Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, outside a specially constructed tube station, while a military tank was placed nearby.

The actor was also recently spotted shooting in the heart of Westminster, just roads away from Downing Street.

Scenes for the eighth film have also been shot across Derbyshire, Surrey and other central London landmarks including the Natural History Museum in Kensington.

The untitled film, which will likely be called Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, is scheduled to come out in May 2025. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One was released in last July.

Mission: Impossible 8 was initially scheduled for a summer 2024 release, but production faced setbacks amid the Hollywood writers' strike.

Originally, filming paused to allow the cast to promote Part One, and then the strike prolonged the delay.

As well as starring Cruise, the eighth instalment will also see the return of stars Pegg, Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Vanessa Kirby.