Angels & Demons hit by writers’ strike

Variety reports that Angels & Demons, the “prequel” to The Da Vinci Code (2006) that was going to begin filming in February, has “become the first major casualty of the ongoing writers strike.” The original release date was set for Christmas 2008, but has now been postponed to May 15 2009 — two weeks after the current release date for X-Men Origins: Wolverine and one week before the current release date for James Cameron’s Avatar — because there were “insurmountable problems” with the script, which was written in a rush just prior to the strike. At the moment, the only actor attached to the film is Tom Hanks, no new start date has been set yet — and it is possible that the film could be postponed again if the actors’ and directors’ guilds go on strike in June.