After the Strike, How Quickly to Strike?

By Steven Zeitchik

If the strike is really over -- and who's to say it is -- get ready for a raft of scripts to pour in to, and be bought by, the hungriest companies. Question is, who would that be? For a number of studios the post-strike period will be about getting back to the scripts they've already been working on; for others it will be about making sure the cupboard gets re-stocked. We'll be handicapping as many as we can over the coming days, but here's a start -- a quick look at the largest specialty divisions, graded by level of post-strike urgency. (For a look at how the gears of TV will crank back into motion, check out Nellie Andreeva's story from today's THR.) Studios and mini-majors coming later in the week.

*Paramount Vantage -- There's plenty in the pipeline -about twenty-five projects in active development, by one count -- but a much smaller number in production. Projects already done or well on their way include the Martin Scorsese Stones docu "Shine a Light," the Ed Zwick WWII drama "Defiance" and Gary Sanchez Prods used-car comedy "The Goods." It's a question of how much Nick Meyer's division wants to release. But assume with so much development, script acquisition isn't as high a priority. Urgency-ometer: Moderate

*Miramax -- Not a ton in production, but then they don't have as many slots to fill as some of their competitors either. Highlights of the imminent slate include Scott Rudin's bigscreen version of John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt," a remake of "Brideshead Revisited" and Fernando Meirelles' adaptation of chilling Portugese fable "Blindness." Some development highlights: the Ryan Fleck-Anna Boden collaboration on "Special Topics in Calamity Physics"  and the recently shuffled thriller "Come Closer." Urgency-ometer: Medium

*Sony Pictures Classics -- In late 2006 the company expressed an interest in more original production, and signed on to some high-profile projects, like "Sleuth" and "Standard Operating Procedure." But a recent Sundance buying spree -- three movies and a close call on a fourth -- may suggest a cooled ardor for development, and post-strike productions deals are likely to be light. Urgency-ometer: Moderate.

*Fox Searchlight - It's not a full a plate as you'd think. Sure, they've got plenty in development. But with the company laying off the acquisitions at Sundance recently and only a handful of projects significantly along (including a Biggie biopic, Keanu Reeves thriller "The Night Watchman" and "The Secret Life of Bees"), the company could be looking heavily at scripts. Urgency-ometer: High

*Picturehouse - With the HBO Films deal possibly unwinding, the company needs projects. Many could be boarded at latter-stages--look for a move or two in Berlin, where it's been active before--but some development/production deals could come in handy. Among the biggest projects in development are HBO Films' holdover "American Girl" and genre gambit "Amusement." Post-strike urgency: High

*Warner Independent - It's been ultra-quiet of late on the acquisition front, and it's no secret the unit hasn't blown many doors off at the box office. But how active it really wants to be and how much it wants to release remains a question. That, and the company has a host of intriguing projects on its development slate -- see under Bryan Singer's "The Mayor of Castro Street" and the Dayton-Faris-Perrotta collaboration "The Abstinence Teacher." Urgency-ometer: Light-Moderate.