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.”

‘Angels and Demons’ had been scheduled to begin production early next year and was due for release on December 19, 2008. While no new start date has been set, its release date has been moved to May 15, 2009.

Hanks is set to reprise his role as Robert Langdon in Angels, reuniting with Da Vinci Code director Ron Howard.

But Angel isn’t alone in limbo. Several other projects have also been stalled and may be postponement, even with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) returning to the table on November 26.

The WGA union went began their strike on November 5.

The shifting schedules are causing some directors to leave projects and others to pick up some as the labour drama plays out.

Columbia’s Edwin A Salt, a spy thriller with Tom Cruise, has been pushed back due to director Terry George stepping off the project.

Michael Mann wants to pick up the directing reins but only if there’s a rewrite, which can’t be done while the strike is on.

“It’s getting dicey for everybody,” said one producer. “There are a lot of projects on the bubble.”

At Warner Bros, Justice League of America finds itself without a shooting script and has options expiring on potential actors who recently were screen tested. As a result, it might have to postpone production.

The strike also could affect Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen’s follow-up to Borat.

Although a working script has been completed, Bruno will be filmed in the same style as Borat, with writers constantly feeding the comedian fresh material as he interacts with real people in real situations.