Dave McNary and Josef Adalian of Variety:
Networks and studios have started thinking about the unthinkable this week.
The harsh rhetoric surrounding the WGA, negotiations plus the guild's recent move to seek strike authorization have convinced execs that the threat of a Nov. 1 strike may be very real. A possible lockout is also being discussed.
"We are trying to get as much stuff as possible shoved through," said one studio VP. "It's as hot as I've ever seen it. And whether or not they strike on Nov. 1, we have to act as if they will."
On the feature side, studios are no longer taking writing pitches and are pretty much limiting themselves to making deals on fully developed packages. Warner Bros and Universal, for example, have put out the word to agents: Don't bring in any spec scripts until the situation resolves itself.
"A strike on Nov. 1 is a real option," WGA West [president] Patric Verrone told Daily Variety on Monday. "What I'm hearing from our screenwriters and show runners is that they're being asked to schedule additional table reads, prepare additional scripts and squeeze in more shows, which may be physically impossible in that amount of time."...
Agents admit that the pace of feature deal-making has stayed hectic in recent weeks -- but only for short-term projects. "Making any deals in long-term feature development has become really tough," one ten-percenter groused.
Producers and execs say available writing jobs have been drying up in recent days. "Unless you're a triple-A high-end rewriter, you're not getting an assignment now," one prominent producer said.
One agent noted that feature animation writing jobs may become a hot area for scribes in coming months since that arena's not covered by the WGA.
"I am looking more toward open director assignments rather than writing assignments," a manager noted, pointing out that the DGA is unlikely to go on strike and will probably make a deal by the end of year.
The possibility that a writers strike could start in just a few weeks, with the current contract expiring Oct. 31, had not been prominent on the town's radar until recently.
The prevailing sentiment had been that the WGA would wait for several months -- perhaps until summer, when both the SAG and DGA contracts expire -- before staging a work stoppage.
The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers return today to the bargaining table for a seventh day of negotiations in a process that has so far yielded only acrimony and finger-pointing. Verrone said that the guild's stressing the possibility of a Nov. 1 strike to get the companies to come off their proposal to revamp residuals.
"We're hoping that possibility will get companies to negotiate seriously," he added.
But AMPTP president Nick Counter told Daily Variety that the prospect of an early strike has always been part of the planning for studios and nets.
"The companies all have contingencies and will be ready in the event a strike occurs," Counter added.
One industry insider believes writers will wait to see if any progress is being made before deciding to walk out.
"If there's absolutely no progress being made, they'll go out," the insider said. "If there is some movement, they might give it a few more weeks."
Endeavor partner Rick Rosen said he remains hopeful that a strike can be averted altogether.
"I'd hate to see this turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, like the Iraq war," Rosen said. "I'd like to see people trying to engage in some meaningful and constructive dialogue rather than making pronouncements."...
Find out what the TV nets are doing to prepare by reading the entire article here...
All I can say is...Stay Tuned....
No comments:
Post a Comment