We’ve seen movies begin taking the loss this week as a result of the
strike: Shantaram and Nine are delayed, and if rumors are true, Oliver
Stone’s Pinkville is dead, dead, dead forever. One fil that keeps
getting mentioned as being right on the edge of getting axed is George
Miller’s Justice League, but the announcement never comes. In fact,
we’re expecting casting news before the holiday.
So what’s the story? Clint Morris at Moviehole has some good contacts
who are keeping him in the loop and he says that the movie currently is
on track. Casting is locked, he has been told. The roles are filled and
I imagine the paperwork is being signed. But Clint also hears that they
don’t have a final shooting script, and as long as there is a strike,
they can’t fix the sucker up. My guess is that Warner Bros is forging
ahead with Justice League under the impression (or wishful thinking)
that the writer’s strike will end before the film’s February start
date. In the meantime they can get the casting and pre-production done,
while crossing their fingers that they’ll have the time to make the
needed changes to the script.
If that’s the case, this is a huge gamble for Warner Bros. I have heard
a lot of people in the know say they believe that if this strike does
not end by the final days of 2007, it will not end until the actors and
directors also go on strike next summer. The folks who have it
especially tough are the actors – they’ve signed their contracts and
they have to clear their early 2008 schedule for the film… and if a
lengthy strike kills the project, they’ll suddenly find themselves
without work, and in an environment where there are not many (if any)
new jobs opening up. Best of luck, Adam Brody and Scott Porter!