Mission: Impossible 7 director thanks Yorkshire village used in filming

Tom Cruise waved to onlookers as he walked to the set with co-star Hayley Atwell

A Hollywood film director has paid tribute to North Yorkshire villagers after shooting scenes for an upcoming blockbuster in the area.

Mission: Impossible 7 director Christopher McQuarrie described residents of Levisham as "lovely and welcoming".

Tom Cruise, who plays Ethan Hunt in the franchise, was spotted waving to onlookers during filming last week.

Mr McQuarrie said the production would return for "one last bit of mischief".

Posting on Instagram to his 85.5k followers, the director wrote: "What would Mission be without a bit of local color?

"Our sincerest thanks to North Yorkshire Moors Railway, the Office for Road and Rail, Eddie Draper, Riley's & GB Rail Freight and, of course, the incredibly lovely and welcoming people of Levisham.

"We had an amazing week (and remarkably fair weather) in fabulous Yorkshire.

"We'll be back for one last bit of mischief in short order."

Cruise was pictured in the village near Pickering on the set alongside co-star Hayley Atwell and dozens of crew members.

A large team was seen setting up a sequence which appeared to involve the use of a modified train and tracks near the village's station.

Levisham is on the route of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which has featured in numerous films and television series.

Actor Tom Cruise, who is reprising his role as spy Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible 7, walks to the film set in Levisham

The production filmed in the sidings of the railway station in the North York Moors village

Mission: Impossible 7's release has been delayed from November until May 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic disrupting the production and international schedules.

Filming was scheduled to begin in Italy in February 2020 but was halted as cases rose in the country.

After a delay, filming restarted at locations including Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire.

Production of Mission: Impossible 7 has suffered numerous delays due to the coronavirus pandemic