One of the films that was mentioned every time the writers strike was brought up prior to the actual strike was Angels and Demons, the prequel story to The Da Vinci Code with Ron Howard back to direct Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon.
Akiva Goldsman was scribbling away with the script up until his November 1st cut-off date, and while he got a draft done it turns out it didn’t completely make the grade.
Columbia Pictures has postponed production on the film, which was supposed to begin shooting in February as Hanks is the only cast member aboard and while the Variety article doesn’t explicitly say it, I am assuming the script ain’t up to snuff.
The follow-up was set to hit theaters Christmas 2008, but with this set back that won’t be happening as the film has now secured a May 15, 2009 release instead. Columbia spokesperson said they do not expect any of their other 2008 films to be affected.
The question now is whether or not Hanks will secure a film for himself prior to the upcoming SAG and DGA contract negotiations, where the strike really could get dicey if both the actors and directors go on strike as well.
