News > Bond, X-Files, Angels and Demons All "On the Bubble"

Written by David Morgan

As the writers strike drags on, studios find themselves faced with a problem of how to proceed with some of their projects. Productions that begin shooting in the next month or so should be able to go off without a hitch, but there are dozens of high profile movies that have incomplete or otherwise imperfect screenplays.  In Variety's words:

To proceed with a project during the strike means no polishes, no response to executive notes, no fixes for actors uncomfortable with their lines, no rethinking of elaborate setpieces that don't work. Even under the best of circumstances, screenplays require writer-assisted tweaking right up until the first day of principal photography and sometimes throughout the shoot.

Paul Haggis admitted to Variety that his screenplay for Bond 22 is not locked.  The screenplay for The Da Vinci Code sequel/prequel Angels and Demons was rushed to meet the November 1st deadline, suggesting that there are some problems there. The X-Files sequel (so far referred to as Done One, but that's likely not the real title as it merely denotes "they've done one movie, here's another") is similarly in peril, though it was scheduled to begin shooting next month.

The 2008 schedule should not be extensively disrupted, but if the strike persists 2009 could be a very very rocky year. I suppose the studios will be recruiting actors who can improvise en masse.