January 5, 2008

WGA + UA...?

Paula Wagner and Tom Cruise "This is big. This is BIG!" announces Nikki Finke. "Because WGA sources just told me that the guild has clinched an 'Independent Agreement' with Tom Cruise's and Paula Wagner's re-started United Artists. This now means that UA has a leg up on every other Hollywood studio because it will be able to hire the striking writers."

"[A]s yet we have no confirmation," blogs Lew Wasserman's Plumber at United Hollywood. "Let's all hope for the best but not get excited until we hear something official from both parties. It's been a week of wild rumors!"

Update, 1/7: In the New York Times, Brooks Barnes and Michael Cieply report that the deal "may have opened the door to a full-blown brawl, as other producers demanded to know why writers have granted some companies a special agreement but not others."



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Posted by dwhudson at January 5, 2008 6:02 AM

Comments

Interesting. I came across a rumor yesterday that the first studio to strike such a deal would be Lionsgate:
http://blog.spout.com/2008/01/04/is-lionsgate-working-on-a-wga-deal/
But I can't imagine anyone having better information than Nikki right now, and she hasn't posted a thing about Lionsgate.

Posted by: Karina at January 5, 2008 12:48 PM