The looming actors' strike in the U.S. will result in an "invasion" of Hollywood filmmakers in Britain next year, the London Independent reported today (Tuesday). The newspaper observed that Disney alone is planning to make an unprecedented six movies in the U.K. over the next year and that Paramount and Universal are also scheduled to make more films in Britain than ever before. The newspaper quoted a Paramount "senior source" as saying, "There are all sorts of reasons for the boom. For a start the pound has dropped 15 per cent against the dollar in the last quarter and that makes the budgets lower. But the big story, of course, is the strike." The "invasion" is already impacting British producers, the newspaper indicated, quoting Michelle Wright, head of production for Working Title Films (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill) as saying that the company is struggling to cast its latest film, Birdsong. "Every actor that you want here is busy because of the U.S. strike," she said.

Source: Studio Briefing