STUDIOS' 2009 SLATES HELD HOSTAGE BETWEEN TWO STRIKES? (VAR, THR)
By Nancy Vialatte
As optimism spreads in Hollywood for an imminent resolution to the writers strike, studios are starting to bump up against the deadline to get projects into production before a possible walkout by actors on June 30.
The majors now have to figure out which projects to greenlight for a fall start, since there's no room to spare in filling out the second half of the 2009 release slate. In addition they have to largely map out their 2010 skeds, notes Variety.
The majors had always planned to accelerate their production schedules in case of a SAG strike but no one planned on such a long WGA walkout, which has made script polishes and rewrites impossible.
Regarding some temporarily scuttled projects, the studios are keeping mum.
Sony said this week that �Da Vinci Code� follow-up, "Angels and Demons," is delayed pending the outcome of the strike. Others suggest it could go into production this summer if all goes well. The same goes for DreamWorks and Paramount's "Transformers 2."
At MGM, "Thomas Crown Affair 2," "Death Wish" and "Fame" are on hold pending the resolution of the strike because of script issues.
Universal delayed Ridley Scott's "Nottingham," with Russell Crowe, because of the strike but still intends to make the movie in time for a 2009 release.
Some studios have been busier than others with Fox especially prolific, while Disney and Universal are about to be. Sony has been busy, too.
Warner Bros., on the other hand, is noticeably quiet on this front, in part because most of its movies slated for release through this year, as well as into next, are completed or are in post-production.
There are at least nine more projects that are not dated but could be slated for 2009, says The Hollywood Reporter citing an unidentified source. But one studio tentpole, the sequel to "Superman Returns," is not so lucky. There apparently are no current plans to add the project to the slate, according to a studio source.
Steven Spielberg�s "The Trials of the Chicago 7" at DreamWorks, could get a shot in the arm if the strike ends quickly. The project has a finished script, but because it is deemed to be heavily dependent on writing, Spielberg is said to want more script adjustments. If the strike ends next week, the project could still shoot in the spring, just under the wire of a possible SAG strike.
If the WGA doesn't vote to end the stoppage imminently, though, sources told The Hollywood Reporter the production likely would be pushed until after a possible SAG strike.
When the strike started more than three months ago, it would have been impossible to predict how a protracted walkout might change the film business. Now, one studio exec suggests that one consequence may be a slowdown in the number of movies being made.
"I think everybody is anxious to get some scripts worked on right now. On the other hand, I think we are going to make fewer movies, because the competition when it comes to dating is impossible right now. It's brutal. I don't think you're going to see us all rev back up to the same level of business," one studio exec told Variety.
Current project status:
DISNEY
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" - filming
"A Christmas Carol" - next week
"Bedtime Stories" - February (12/25/08 release)
"Witch Mountain" - late March
"The Proposal" - late March (2/13/09 release)
"When in Rome" - mid-April
"Hannah Montana Movie" - mid-April
"High School Musical: Senior Year" - mid-April
"Surrogates" - late April
"Prince of Persia" - late July (7/10/09 release)
DREAMWORKS
"The Lovely Bones" - Peter Jackson directing (3/13/09 release)
"The Soloist" - filming
"I Love You Man" - March (1/16/09 release)
"She's Out of My League" - March or April
PARAMOUNT
"Star Trek" - J.J. Abrams directing (12/25/08 release)
"G.I. Joe" - mid-February (8/7/09 release)
"Shutter Island" - early March
SONY
"Year One" - filming (6/19/09 release)
"Seven Pounds" - March (12/12/08 release)
"Julie & Julia" - March
"Taking of Pelham One Two Three" - March (7/31/09 release)
FOX
"The Day the Earth Stood Still" - started shooting (12/12/08 release)
"They Came From Upstairs" - started shooting (1/16/09 release)
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" - started shooting (5/1/09 release)
"Max Payne" late February
"Marley and Me" - March (12/19/08 release)
"Bride Wars" - March
"Night at the Museum 2: Escape From the Smithsonian" - May (5/22/09 release)
UNIVERSAL
"Cirque de Freak" - Feb. 19
"Fast and Furious 4" - Feb. 20 (6/5/09 release)
"The Wolfman" - early March (2/13/09 release)
"Land of the Lost" - early March (7/17/09 release)
"The Boat That Rocked" - March 3
"Duplicity" - March 10
"Public Enemies" - March 10
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