It’s not been a particularly happy new year for the Hollywood production community thus far as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, on the go since early November 2007, still wages on. The WGA has been through several rounds of unsuccessful talks with the Association of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), which comprises studio heads and executives, regarding contentious contractual issues such as residuals from Internet downloads and DVD sales.
However, there is some movement. United Artists, the company headed by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner, has become the first major movie studio to sign an agreement with the WGA. As per the agreement UA will now be able to proceed with projects that need script improvements.
Last week talk show host David Letterman signed a similar deal with the WGA, allowing striking workers to get back to work on his show. But fellow talk show host Jay Leno has come under WGA fire for self-penning a monologue for his show.
On 7 January, The New York Post reported that The Weinstein Co. is now in negotiations with the WGA. Lionsgate is also reportedly keen to make a deal with the WGA.
Other strike action has seen the WGA’s bid to have the city of Los Angeles refuse film permits to production companies fall flat. The strike has had a dire effect in New York, where, according to Crain’s New York Business, some 78,000 local production workers have been laid off and 4,000 businesses have shut down.
Meanwhile, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and studio bosses have been indulging in non-conclusive informal talks regarding setting a date for their own contract renewal negotiations. The DGA is reportedly keen to wait for the WGA strike to be resolved before it enters into its own negotiations with the AMPTP. (Sources: Studio Briefing; The Hollywood Reporter)
