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The Hollywood Reporter has two full stories this morning on the apparent hysteria leading up to an expected November writers strike, and a possible actors and directors strike next June. Borys Kit says agents are scrambling to get A-listers booked solid for the next ten months; Carl DiOrio warns that the studios’ effort to ramp up pre-strike production is almost sure to lead to a decline in overall quality.
One of those A-listers apparently has no intention of working for the sake of working. While his compatriots suffer through strike fever, George Clooney has signed on to produce and narrate a documentary on Darfur for HBO.
Lured by the state’s tax incentives, Pacifica Ventures is planning to build a $75 million film studio in Pennsylvania.
General Motors has teamed up with Women in Film to offer a grant to five emerging female filmmakers. According to Variety, the grant recipients will be “chosen by a WIF committee of professional filmmakers and entertainment industry executives,” and in addition to a cash award, they’ll also have access to “a six-day, full-immersion mentoring program.” The application deadline is August 31, and more information can be found here.