BURNING STRIKE QUESTION NO. 2: How is the movie business being affected?
Don't let your crowded local theater marquee lull you into believing that the strike isn't hurting the movie industry. It's just that all the pain is behind the scenes...so far. Nervous studios ramped up production before the strike hit, ensuring a fresh supply of films through 2009. However, some big projects — like Johnny Depp's Shantaram and Tom Hanks' Angels & Demons — were jettisoned due to script problems that couldn't be solved in time. Also, on Jan. 16, Warner Bros. confirmed it will push back its planned tentpole for summer 2009, Justice League of America, and DreamWorks is still struggling to get Transformers 2 ready as well. Things will get really ugly if the strike isn't settled by the fall, preventing studios from beginning work on their big movies for 2010. So why is Tom Cruise smiling? Because his UA studio, as well as the Weinstein Co., Spyglass Entertainment, and Media Rights Capital, all signed interim deals with the WGA allowing writers to work on new scripts for them. ''I will work with UA,'' says Academy Award-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis. ''I would say the top 20 screenwriters in this town have already put in calls to the company.'' Being the only places currently open for business could turn these indie players into tomorrow's power brokers. —Nicole Sperling
NEXT PAGE: How quickly can TV shows get back into production after the strike?
You Might Also Like
- Television News Study: TV viewing held steady during strike
- WGA STRIKE Report: Writers' strike cost L.A. $2.5 billion
- Movie News Writer's strike winners and losers | Lynette Rice
- Movie News A-listers to SAG: Start negotiations ASAP
