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TOLDJA! So the story I broke Friday night about the Writers Guild making that ”independent agreement” with Tom Cruise’s and Paula Wagner’s United Artists was officially announced today. 
How interesting that UA and the WGA both took great care to make clear that “the agreement is unique to United Artists Films and does not involve Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), a shareholder of United Artists Entertainment.” No doubt that’s because of what I’ve already reported: that the Hollywood moguls are furious at MGM Chairman Harry Sloan for allowing this UA side deal to be negotiated since it goes against the wishes of the AMPTP.
Here’s the official United Artists and WGA announcement:
LOS 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.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) had this to say today:
One-off deals do nothing to bring the WGA closer to a permanent solution for
working writers. These interim agreements are sideshows and mean only that some writers will be employed at the same time other writers will be picketing. In the end, until the people in charge at WGA decide to focus on the main event rather than these sideshows, the economic harm being caused by the strike will continue.
See my previous: SHOCKER! WGA To Announce Side Deal With Tom Cruise’s United Artists; Now Studio Moguls Mad At MGM’s Sloan
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Congrats! And here’s to more following soon!
Let it Rain.
Let the moguls be mad! Sloan is a genius. MGM is doing acquisitions of films for distribution but has no real production slate to speak of. That’s what they have UA for. This way Harry gets the best of both worlds. Smart man.
You’re on a roll Nikki!
No doubt about that, kicking ass and taking names, getting mentioned on Letterman, picking up Journalistic Awards of your own, meaningful one’s IMO. Where have the true iconoclasts gone?
So, they’re mad at Harry? For what? Maintaining his fiduciary responsiblitity to his shareholders? MGM has different needs than some of the other Majors, they don’t need a couple of Bullies with veto Power holding them hostage and making a mess of things. They got bills to pay, debt to service, not nearly as much pre-financed, leveraged Product to roll out which makes this much tougher on them.
I hope MGM breaks off by March and makes their own deal. Gets back in business, as many are sure to in the coming weeks and months. Lucas? Weinstein? Lionsgate? All are maybes for sure but this deal could still serve as a watershed moment for others who want to get back to work and benefit rom a deal with us.
It’s simply good business and in their best interests to do so. With these dealsmaybe right now only 1% of Writers will get back to work, but maybe withing a few weeks, that will become 5%, then 10%, then 20% by April or so. It’s still progress, unacceptable, but still progress towards breaking this impasse and getting everyone back to work.
Did anybody hear about the Bear Stearns Conference call with WGAEs Winship and Slocum and “others” listening in? Their Analysts said our New Media Proposals are “largely negligible” to the Companies Balance sheets so I say to other Companies…
Come on in, the water’s fine.
I wonder, does anyone know of any UA projects that were close to filming, but put on hold because the script needed work (i.e., WB’s situation with “Justice League”)?
Funny; a few months ago, there was speculation and worry that some writers may go Fi-Core, and thus be able to work while the strike was ongoing; instead, the WGA flipped the play by striking deals with Worldwide Pants and UA (and who knows who else will strike similar deals). It’ll be interesting to see if this strategy works.
Is it just me, or are both of those statements exactly the same? Its good to hear more writers will be getting back to work, and I am one step closer to getting more entertained. Congrats on breaking it.
This is great! I just have a question. Does UA have the capital for the domestic and worldwide distribution of films (theatrical) and DVDs? How about other companies that may get similar deals?
MGM signing off on a deal would not be relevant. They HAVE NO production. they are distributors only.
In the other post there was much lamenting this deal, with the focus being on how small United Artists is.
What many of you aren’t grasping, though, is that United Artists could quickly become a bigger player as a result of this; that is, if they (Wagner and Co.) allowed it to.
AMPTP’s reponses get whiner and more desperate each time they speak. Why don’t you focus on the central deal, assholes? If you don’t, we’ll just keep getting side deals until we break you. And then they will matter. Get it?
This UA thing and other side-deal thing with other studios is a wash.
I’ve seen the term “Dog and Pony show” used on this site recently.
This so-called “shocking” Big Deal is the truest example of that.
Has No one done the research but me? the ONLY productions UA has on their schedule and not until
later in 2008 and late 2009. And Both already written
screen adaptations from already successful novels.
Sheesh.
a)”On the Road” – Jack Kerouac’s classic.
Already screenplay’d for Francis Coppola to take it where it’s planned to be shot – “on the road”
and only maybe near the end of this year.
b)”Something Borrowed” – same story, different city.
NYC. And Frankly, this project is prolly not going
to even begin to see any action until next year.
c) Pinkville” – dead in the water. First hand knowledge. Actually worked on it. Everything shipped back, being offloaded and returning even as you’re reading this.
That’s it. A “Paper Tiger” at best.
This big “shocking deal” has all the “shock” and “knock ‘em in line” effect of as if trying to organize to the vendor of a mall food court and
announcing the signing of a deal with a hot dog cart
out in the parking lot for his cart downtown.
The effect is actually less than zero.
Ya gotta look behind the hype folk.
People are suffering mightily out here to make a small faction in this town rich. As least tell us the truth, Please?
Moguls are “furious”? I hope there goes one better. They need to all have veins pop in their brains and be sent to the hospital. Maybe then they’ll get a grip on reality.
The advantage for United Artists is that as the only motion picture company that can acquire new content as of right now, they are very attractive to investors and are in a position to ramp up financing and put out a huge production slate for 2008 and 2009, producing films that will be competing only with independent companies. The longer the other AMPTP companies take in negotiation, the less competition UA will have.
Beyond that, they have the ability to cherry pick production personnel and above-the-line talent, because so many people are sitting on their thumbs right now. If I wanted to take UA public, now would be the time. If I wanted to launch a bunch of additional productions, now would be the time. And because the heads of that particular studio are creative producers, there’s not much love lost between them and the AMPTP. If MGM doesn’t distribute the content that comes out of this in a show of solidarity, UA is in a particularly good position to start self-distributing to the content-starved exhibitors, unless they don’t want the hassle, in which case they can always use smaller distribution companies that don’t produce, and are likewise hungry.
Those conpanies, in turn, could start making WB and Sony money. This could be a huge shift if larger conglomerates don’t start making deals.