TOM HANKS - HANKS + CLOONEY WARN OF POTENTIAL ACTORS STRIKE

TOM HANKS and GEORGE CLOONEY have warned an actors strike is a possibility if upcoming talks between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the movie studios aren't successful. In a letter published in Friday's (15Feb08) edition of the Los Angeles Times, the pair calls for talks to begin as soon as possible to maximise the chances of averting a walk-out. SAG members will reportedly strike this summer (08) after their current contract expires on 30 June if negotiations with studio bosses over pay and conditions do not prove fruitful. But Hanks and Clooney are hopeful a strike can be avoided. They write: "A strike by the actors is certainly a possibility this summer, but is by no means inevitable. "Talks between the producers and actors should begin as soon as possible so that those negotiations will produce the fair, progressive and responsible contract the actors deserve. "Perhaps then out town (Hollywood) - and everyone in the business of show - will be spared another work stop-page." Hanks and Clooney's call comes just days after Writers Guild Of America (WGA) members voted to end a three-month strike, which crippled the American TV and movie industries, over internet royalties.