From Bond flop to sci-fi embarrassment, 7 movies that show what happens in a Hollywood strike

Screenwriters in Hollywood have been on strike since May 2, 2023. The reason for this is the development of the film and series landscape. through the Rise of streaming services like Netflix and Co., a lot has changed in Hollywood. More content is needed, even though seasons are getting shorter and script teams smaller.

Temporary jobs and low royalties that no longer fit the streaming age: the screenwriters represented by the WGA (Writers Guild of America) have theirs Work suspended for the time being. But what does a film project that is implemented despite such a strike look like?

These 7 films were changed by the scriptwriters’ strike in 2007/2008

In the late 2000s, a number of films were released that explored the effects of the WGA strike from November 2007 to February 2008 were felt very clearly. Screenplays like a patchwork quilt: Even established franchises could not hide the lack of authors. We have selected seven prominent examples.

Transformers Revenge turned into a sci-fi disaster

Transformers – Revenge is the missing script to note every second. Writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Ehren Kruger had just two weeks to come up with the story of the sci-fi sequel before the strike began. They wrote a treatment with the rough course of action, which was miles from a screenplay suitable for film. Director Michael Bay was then forced to extend the draft itself to 60 script pages. The finished film is the best proof that this makeshift solution didn’t work.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine disappointed as a Marvel prequel

At least five writers were involved in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Ultimately, no one was able to get the script into an acceptable form before the 2007/2008 WGA strike. The first versions are by David Benioff and Skip Woods. After that, David Ayer, James Vanderbilt and Scott Silver were hired for last-minute changes. Here, too, the result speaks volumes: Although Wolverine is one of the coolest Marvel characters, his origin story turned out to be immature. We later saw what a real Wolverine film looks like with Logan.

Terminator: Salvation brought everything but salvation

We have seen often enough in recent years that the revival of a film series is no easy task. The infamous creative differences have already sent many a project to production hell. Terminator Salvation features six different writers, with director McG citing one as the most important: Jonathan Nolan (Westworld). But then the 2007/2008 WGA strike threw production into chaos and Nolan was never able to finish his script due to another engagement. He didn’t even get a credit in the credits.

Even eight writers couldn’t save GI Joe

Filming on GI Joe began the day before the end of the 2007-2008 WGA strike, meaning the final draft of the script must have been submitted before November 5, 2007. At this point, Stuart Beattie was the lead and fifth overall writer on the project. In order to finish the script before the strike, hired three (!) other authors, who typed the story down at lightning speed so that there were at least a few coherent pages when we were shooting. They didn’t win the race against time.

Illuminati became the chaotic scavenger hunt in Rome

The Dan Brown hype of the mid-2000s was gigantic, as evidenced by the success of The Da Vinci Code. No wonder Sony wanted to get the Illuminati sequel to cinemas as soon as possible. When it became clear that Akiva Goldsman’s screenplay needed an overhaul, the studio decided to push the launch back by half a year, allowing David Koepp to die after the 2007/2008 WGA strike quickly write a new version could. Despite the extra time, you can tell from the chaotic scavenger hunt that not everything was running smoothly behind the scenes.

Star Trek got off with a black eye

The Star Trek reboot was also caught off guard by the WGA strike and had to face some challenges. Director JJ Abrams has repeatedly stressed how frustrating it was that he not change any dialogue during the shoot could. Authors Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman were allowed on set because they were also involved as executive producers. However, they were not allowed to exercise their function as screenwriters. What’s even more impressive is that the film works very well for the most part. Star Trek got off with a black eye.

James Bond was hit all the harder

The only film that was thrown even more off track by the WGA strike 2007/2008 than Transformers – Revenge is James Bond 007 – Quantum of Solace. Even before the strike, director Roger Michell got out due to script problems. Paul Haggis was supposed to save the day, but before the strike he could only Fragments of a script deliver, which should be filmed by substitute director Marc Forster in record time to meet the theatrical release. Lead actor Daniel Craig was less than thrilled with the circumstances, as IndieWire notes:

At Quantum we were screwed. We had the skeleton of a script and then the strike came and we couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t hire a writer to finish the script. I say to myself: ‘Never again.’ Without screenwriters, Hollywood is in a bind

The stories of the films mentioned all sound very similar. Despite the strike, the studios have made every effort to stick to announced release dates, instead of trying to reach an agreement with the strikers more quickly. After all, a whole arm of advertising deals and other contracts that are important for the studio, not to mention the film exploitation, depends on the shooting dates. Before the strike begins, a script is therefore completed as quickly as possible so that filming can begin.

The rest has to be improvised – by people who actually have other tasks. Even a “complete” screenplay is often rewritten during shooting. It is therefore essential that authors, even after submitting the script are involved in production. You are one of the few people who can see the entire story and correct discrepancies on the spot. Sometimes this can prevent costly reshoots.

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