London, Dec 18 (IANS): Hollywood star Tom Cruise has reportedly taken an early break from filming Mission Impossible 7, following controversy over his on-set Covid meltdown.

The actor lost his temper with crew several times over the unit's failure to follow Covid guidelines. This led to five staff members quitting, reports thesun.co.uk.

"It has been exhausting keeping the production on track for so long, and it's not getting any easier – Christmas can't come soon enough. Tom has decided he's ready for a break and is now going to wind up filming for 2020 on Friday, and fly to Miami over the weekend on his private jet to spend Christmas with his son," said a source.

"It's the end of a really tough year, and a bit of time out seems like a good idea for everyone as tensions have been mounting for a while," added the source.

Earlier this week, thesun.co.uk reported how the actor lost his cool after two crew members broke Covid rules by standing too close together.

Another eruption took place on Tuesday night as news of his rant surfaced.

A source said: "The first outburst was big but things haven't calmed since. Tension has been building for months and this was the final straw. Since it became public there has been more anger and several staff have walked."

Cruise, who plays super spy Ethan Hunt and is a producer of the film, has reportedly spent a lot of money to ensure Covid measures are followed. They include hiring a cruise ship so staff can isolate.

In October, he had crisis talks with director Christopher McQuarrie days after 12 people on set in Italy were said to have tested positive for coronavirus.

Ever since he returned to the UK two weeks ago, Cruise has been clicked wearing a mask on set.