Nothing like a little "Hey the directors are going to negotiate" for the axes to start falling.
Nearly two dozen writer deals terminated
By JOSEF ADALIAN (Variety)
The force majeure ax has swung at ABC Studios, which today notified nearly two dozen writers that it was terminating their overall deals as a result of the strike.
While all the major studios had previously suspended deals for their scribes, the ABC Studios move reps the biggest move yet by a major to cut ties to talent.
Among the scribes cut off: Bill Callahan ("Scrubs"), Larry Charles ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Sean Bailey ("Gone Baby Gone") and the team of Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia ("That 70s Show," "Surviving Christmas"). Thesp Taye Diggs, who had a production deal at ABC Studios, has also had his pact terminated.
Other studios are said to be considering taking similar action.
"The ongoing strike has had a significant detrimental impact on development and production so we are forced to make the difficult decision to release a number of talented, respected individuals from their development deals," ABC Studios said in a statement late Friday.
Anybody who thinks the timing of this has nothing to do with the DGA (Director's Guild) announcing they were coming to the table is high. A bad high. Not a good high.
Among the scribes cut off: Bill Callahan ("Scrubs"), Larry Charles ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Sean Bailey ("Gone Baby Gone") and the team of Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia ("That 70s Show," "Surviving Christmas"). Thesp Taye Diggs, who had a production deal at ABC Studios, has also had his pact terminated.
Other studios are said to be considering taking similar action.
"The ongoing strike has had a significant detrimental impact on development and production so we are forced to make the difficult decision to release a number of talented, respected individuals from their development deals," ABC Studios said in a statement late Friday.
Anybody who thinks the timing of this has nothing to do with the DGA (Director's Guild) announcing they were coming to the table is high. A bad high. Not a good high.
This is the beginning of the bad, for writers. A combination of the DGA negotiating, the studios axing people, and a hurry up offense (My guess) to nip this thing before the writers and actors can strike together.
How will the show runners react now that some of them are on the line?
Gonna be an interesting week.
1 comment:
As I keep saying: It's all about leverage, bucko. Leverage.
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