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So many rumors of WGA side deals: Lionsgate, The Weinstein Co, and the latest, Lucasfilm.
MONDAY UPDATE: Now the WGA and United Artists make it official.
Writers Guild of America Announces
Independent Agreement With United ArtistsLOS ANGELES – January 7, 2008 – The Writers Guild of America and legendary United Artists Films have reached a mutually beneficial independent agreement. While the details are not being disclosed in this announcement, the comprehensive agreement addresses the issues important to writers, including New Media.
As a result of this agreement, Writers Guild members will be able to work with United Artists while the strike against other companies continues.
The agreement is unique to United Artists Films and does not involve Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), a shareholder of United Artists Entertainment.
“United Artists has lived up to its name. UA and the Writers Guild came together and negotiated seriously. The end result is that we have a deal that will put people back to work,” said Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West.
“This agreement is important, unique, and makes good business sense for United Artists. In keeping with the philosophy of its original founders, artists who sought to create a studio in which artists and their creative visions could flourish, we are pleased to have reached an agreement with the WGA,” said UA co-owner and CEO Paula Wagner.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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I’m still waiting to hear from the shills why MGM was furious at Tom Cruise for making a deal with the WGA — and why the other studios were furious at MGM for the same.
If these deals are breaking the writers, why isn’t MGM happy about it? Why isn’t the AMPTP encouraging MORE companies to do the same?
Go ahead, give it your best shot…
What about some of the production companies that deal with mostly television?
Still waiting for the apology from the screenwriters who went insane over the Letterman deal and accused the WGA of only caring about TV.
Whenever you’re ready.
Why would Lucasfilm do a side deal with the WGA when it’s not a WGA signatory in the first place?
@Claire,
How’s this going to break the union, again? ‘Cause, you know, you can’t just throw that out there without backing it up.
If anything, this is really going to help end the strike sooner. How do you think the studio heads are going to react when they see a slate of a-list written United Artist films heading into production while they’re stuck sitting on their hands?
So are these agreements giving the WGA what’s fair–ie a piece of “new media” or are they just extending the old contract til whenever?
Lucasfilm?
Lucas HATES unions. Didn’t he quit both the WGA and the DGA 20 years ago?
I don’t get it.
Lucas’ previous disputes with the WGA and DGA were only over credit placement. The rules of those unions state that directors and writers names must feature in opening credits BEFORE the movie. But the Star Wars movies don’t open with credits.
He did a deal with the DGA/WGA who said ‘okay’ on the first film (because the rumours were that it was going to bomb). But after the movies’ success, they wanted him to put in opening credits of the next movies. The DGA actually fined Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand, but Lucas was happy to pay the bill.