It’s an act of defiance that recalls Vic Morrow’s kid refusing to give up the ball at the end of The Bad News Bears:  after initially acquiescing to Devin’s demands that he vacate The Trial of the Chicago Seven, Steven Spielberg has apparently decided that, well, maybe he’ll make it after all. 

At least, that’s what the Variety tag team of Michael Fleming and Pamela McClintock would have you believe in their queasy-making piece about the potential actors’ strike.  But while it’s true that a number of productions will be inconvenienced should the actors walk out on June 30th, The Trial of the Chicago Seven‘s postponement has just as much to do with reworking Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay as it does with getting the right cast.  Now, if Spielberg’s project hopping past has taught us anything, it’s that we should all be Geminis and expect the unexpected; still, I can’t see him knocking off until the fall, especially since the actors’ strike is hardly a fait acompli.  So if he absolutely, positively can’t make Chicago Seven without Will Smith as Bobby Seale, why not get that first Tintin movie up and going in the interim?  And when that’s done, and, suddenly, Sasha Baron Cohen is unavailable, maybe then will be the right time to make Lincoln or Interstellar.

As Devin previously reported, The Trial of the Chicago Seven‘s production office was shut down, which means people were fired.  Would it be unprecedented for a project to crew back up after a three month layoff?  No.  But why would Spielberg can everyone if it’s just a question of waiting out the threat of a strike? 

Moreover, why would Spielberg dare buck the demands of his master Faraci?  The answer, of course, is that he knows better.  Have fun on Tintin, Steve.