BRUCE ALMIGHTY - WGA SIGNS DEAL WITH ANOTHER STUDIO, BUT WILL IT BACKFIRE?

Following its deals with United Artists, and The Weinstein Co., the Writers Guild of America West has announced that it has signed a deal with a fourth production company, Spyglass Entertainment. Spyglass, whose films have included Bruce Almighty and Seabiscuit, has distribution deals with a number of studios. All of which raises the possibility that the companies that have signed separate deals may be used to fill the pipelines of the studios that have been struck and could be used also as surrogates where scripts are developed while the strike continues, then "sold" to the majors with which they are partnered when it is settled. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. announced Wednesday that it had sent pink slips to about three dozen employees, citing the writers' strike. The small number surprised media journalists who had been predicting massive layoffs at the studio (which referred to the predictions as "misinformation").

17/01/2008