New Strike Threatens Hollywood

First the writers strike, now Hollywood is set to be hit by an actor’s strike.

While the TV industry has rushed to bring derailed shows back on the air since screenwriters returned to work three weeks ago, the threat of renewed unrest by actors in the months ahead has put movie studios in a tenuous situation.

Filmmakers are reluctant to launch any production that cannot be completed before the expiration of the Screen Actors Guild's major film and TV contract on June 30 - a date being treated as the union's strike deadline.

With tens of millions of dollars at stake when a film production is disrupted, movie studios are playing it safe with some of the industry's biggest names already getting caught up in the uncertainty.

Steven Spielberg has called off the April start to a film about the trial of the 1968 anti-war activists, the Chicago Seven.

Meanwhile, Michael Bay, director of the 2007 summer action blockbuster Transformers, is keeping his fingers crossed as he and DreamWorks stick to an early June start date for a sequel to the movie.