Writers’ strike stalls Da Vinci Code prequel

THE Hollywood writers strike has forced producers to postpone work on the Tom Hanks movie Angels and Demons, a prequel to the worldwide blockbuster The Da Vinci Code.

Columbia Pictures said the screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, an adaptation of the Dan Brown novel, was not ready to go before the cameras.

Studio spokesman Steve Elzer said that “while the filmmakers and the studio feel the screenplay is very strong, we do not believe it is the fully-realised production draft required of this ambitious project”. He added, “We do not expect any other film on our 2008 slate to be affected.”