The Wall Street Journal-20080111-Weinstein Makes Deal With Writers Guild
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Weinstein Makes Deal With Writers Guild
Ten weeks into the screenwriters' strike, Weinstein Co. has reached an interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America that will allow the independent studio to restart work on new films, according to Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman.
"It's a done deal," Mr. Weinstein said, adding that he expected it to be signed by this morning. The agreement is similar to the deal announced Monday by the WGA and United Artists Films, the independent studio partly owned by Tom Cruise and his business partner Paula Wagner. The UA deal was the first between the WGA and a film studio since Hollywood writers walked out Nov. 5 after contract negotiations with the major Hollywood studios and television networks broke down.
Separately, Mr. Weinstein spoke to George Clooney, who suggested forming a "blue ribbon" panel of actors, directors and writers to try to get the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of the major studios, back to bargaining. The idea is unlikely to sit well with the studios.
A spokesman for Mr. Clooney confirmed the two spoke, but Mr. Clooney could not be reached for comment. Officials from the AMPTP declined to comment. The WGA did not immediately comment on the Weinstein deal or the idea of a mediation panel.
Because Weinstein and UA are tiny compared with the major studios, the deals are unlikely to have much impact on the strike. Weinstein has only one film affected by the strike, and it isn't scheduled for release until 2009. The interim agreement allows Weinstein Co. to resume that project.
Still, Weinstein and United Artists are hoping the deals will allow them to get first looks at scripts. Mr. Weinstein, an outspoken figure in the movie industry, denies a competitive edge over the big studios was a factor in his deal with the WGA. "I am using my lightning-rod status to get people motivated to maybe get this ball rolling again and start negotiating," he says. "I expect five angry studio heads calling me later."
