'Mission: Impossible 7': Christopher McQuarrie clarifies Poland bridge destruction controversy

"Mission: Impossible 7" director Christopher McQuarrie has spoken up about the controversy surrounding the film's plans to blow up the Pilchowicki bridge. He says Poland volunteered the bridge for destruction to make way for tourism.

The filmmaker said "there was never a plan to blow up" the 111-year-old Polish bridge, which like the locals, he also considers as a "protected monument." He shared that during pre-production they planned a big action sequence "involving a bridge over a body of water, ideally one that could be partially destroyed." He revealed that Poland expressed interest when the country learned of their plans and search for such a bridge.

"While we doubted such a thing would be possible, a broad search was initiated in the unlikely event that any country anywhere in the world might have a bridge that needed getting rid of. Some lovely people from Poland responded with enthusiasm," McQuarrie clarified in a statement published by Empire.

The director said that Poland was looking to update the bridge, which means part of it would have to be destroyed to give way for new upgrades. The country suggested the "non-functioning railroad bridge in an area that suited our purposes." They offered the Pilchowicki bridge which was decommissioned for public use in 2016.

"And, better yet, the area in question was eager to promote tourism. Local roads being what they are, their best chance to do this rested in revitalizing an outdated rail system. This included replacing the main decking of the bridge in question, which engineers had deemed structurally unsound, McQuarrie continued adding that "bottom line: to open up the area to tourism, the bridge needed to go. As a bonus, the lake which the bridge spans is man-made (providing power to a nearby hydro-electric dam) meaning we could easily take steps to protect the surrounding environment."

McQuarrie said they had an agreement to blow up the "already unsafe portions of the bridge that needed to be rebuilt" for the said scene in "Mission: Impossible 7." There was no plan to destroy the original stone pilings at both ends.

The director said reports that "Mission: Impossible 7" wanted to blow up the entire Pilchowicki bridge came from a person who "claimed they were owed a job on the production" which they were not qualified for. The unnamed individual allegedly harassed crew members and "misrepresented our intentions" about the bridge.

"In short, this individual manipulated the emotional response of the people in a move that has now compromised our ambitions to bring our production to Poland," McQuarrie said.

He added that the cast and crew "would never under any circumstances dream of intentionally causing harm to the cultural or historical landmarks we visit, and take great pains to protect those landmarks we feature." He said it is their "prime directive" to respect and celebrate the places they film. McQuarrie reiterated that none of the production crew of "Mission: Impossible 7" asked Poland for permission to blow up the Pilchowicki bridge because the location was volunteered.