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Johnny Depp film hit by writer's strike
2007-11-20
A Johnny Depp film and a big-budget musical featuring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem have become the latest movies to be hit by Hollywood's writer's strike, it was reported on Tuesday. "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Depp had been due to appear in the Mira Nair-directed "Shantaram," an adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts novel, entertainment industry Daily Variety reported. Cruz and Bardem meanwhile were to have starred with Italian icon Sophia Loren and French actress Marion Cotillard in "Nine," a screen version of the successful musical inspired by Federico Fellini's "8 1/2." However Variety reported that both projects have now been put on hold because scripts for each film had not been completed before the writers' strike got underway earlier this month. Film and television writers went on strike on November 5 seeking a bigger cut from Internet sales and downloads in the first major industrial action by the Writers Guild of America in nearly 20 years. The dispute has plunged the entertainment industry into turmoil, halting production on hit television shows like "Desperate Housewives" and forcing the postponement of the latest season of "24." Although major Hollywood films studios were reported to have insulated themselves against the short-term effects of the strike by stockpiling finished scripts, plans for films due for release in 2009 have been affected. As well "Shantaram" and "Nine," a new Tom Hanks film, "Angels and Demons," as well as an upcoming Oliver Stone war movie "Pinkville," have both been shelved because of the strike. Popular late-night chat shows hosted by Jay Leno and David Letterman have also gone into shutdown because of the strike, which industry analysts believe may last several months.
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