Add The Weinstein Company to the list of studios that have signed interim agreements with the Writers Guild of America.
Harvey Weinstein confirmed the deal in an interview this morning, saying “It’s important for the business to get the ball rolling and get back to work.” According to the Los Angeles Times, The Weinstein Company’s deal “mirrors the pacts that the union recently signed with United Artists…and David Letterman‘s production company, Worldwide Pants Inc.”
Between inking various interim deals, shrinking the Golden Globes down to press-conference size, and wreaking havoc with Oscar plans, the WGA seems to be having a pretty good week for itself — but, as the Times notes, “Without one of the big players making such a deal, these interim agreements are unlikely to have much influence in ending the strike, according to industry executives.”
Of course, that’s according to industry executives — they’d probably say the strikers were going to burst into flames from picket friction if they thought anyone would believe them — but it’s a point well-taken. United Artists and The Weinstein Company, though both certain to benefit from their WGA deals, are also two of the more hit-starved studios in Hollywood, and unless they can do better with the scripts currently deluging their offices than they did with recent releases such as Lions for Lambs and The Nanny Diaries, those smug “industry executives” could wind up being right on the money. Literally.
Source: Los Angeles Times
