Steven Spielberg drops 'Chicago 7'

Steven Spielberg will reportedly delay starting his next film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, over fears of a potential Screen Actors Guild strike, according to reports.

The film centres on eight Vietnam protesters who were accused of inciting a riot at the 1968 Democrat party convention.

Sacha Baron Cohen had signed to play campaigner Abbie Hoffman, with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Will Smith and Kevin Spacey all rumoured to be joining the cast.

"It's a de facto casualty of SAG," an insider revealed to Deadline Hollywood Daily. "He's still working on it with producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald and still keenly interested. But because of the uncertainty over a SAG strike, he has to push the date."

The director, who intended to make Chicago 7 his next film, won't name a new start date until the Screen Actors Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers agree on a new contract.

"Knowing that he had to be finished by July left him too much up against it, so he had to make a decision whether to give the film a firm state date of April which he didn't feel ready for," the insider added.

The guild's current agreement expires on June 30 with an actor walkout the potential end result.