THE filming of "Angels and Demons," like "The Da Vinci Code" adapted from a Dan Brown novel and starring Tom Hanks as professor Robert Langdon, has been delayed due to the screen writers' strike, Sony studios said during the weekend.

"With the strike nearing its third week, Columbia Pictures has postponed production of 'Angels and Demons,'" said studio spokesman Steve Elzer, adding that the production was close to finishing.

"At this time, there is no new start date for 'Angels and Demons,' but we are setting a release date of May 15, 2009 and are hopeful to deliver the movie worldwide to theaters on that date," he added.

"Angels and Demons," Brown's second novel after "Digital Fortress" came to light after the success of "The Da Vinci Code" in 2003. Sony acquired its film rights at the same time as the "Code," which in 2006 made US$758 million in box office revenues worldwide.

"Angels" is about a group of "Illuminati" who decide to blow up the Vatican during a conclave.

More than 3,000 film and television writers went on strike Nov. 5 seeking a bigger cut from Internet sales and downloads, on the urgings of the 12,000-member Writers Guild of America (WGA).

The strike is the first by the WGA for nearly 20 years and has plunged the industry into turmoil, halting production on hit television shows like "Desperate Housewives" and forcing the postponement of "24."

Popular late night chat shows hosted by Jay Leno and David Letterman have also gone into shutdown this week because of the strike, which industry analysts believe may last several months.

(SD-Agencies)