For Writers, WGA-AMPTP Contract Negotiations Are a Highly Scripted Affair

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The WGA and Hollywood’s major employers are set to resume contract talks on Wednesday as the sides aim to make progress in sorting through complicated compensation issues and averting a strike. Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are expected to sit down again in person Wednesday morning at AMPTP headquarters in Sherman Oaks. The WGA had planned to take a two-week break after March 31 to begin the process of a strike authorization vote, with talks tabbed to resume the week of April 17. The guild’s current three-year contract expires on May 1. A rep for the AMPTP declined comment. The WGA did not immedately respond to a request for comment.

Chris Pratt spilled on all things Marvel in a new interview.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” is returning in a new form. The beloved film, which was an adaptation of a series of graphic novels, is coming back in an anime, with Edgar Wright surprising fans by announcing that the entire original cast will be appearing in the project.Aubrey Plaza tells Drew Barrymore to be her ‘mommy’; breaks the internet‘The White Lotus’ season 3: This is where the season is setThis is not a drill! This is happening!After much musing over the years about there being potential for an anime adaptation of ‘Scott Pilgrim’, I’m thrilled to say one is IMMINENT, with the whole cast back together and… you are going to lose your minds.

The adventures of Scott Pilgrim will be continue in an animated series for Netflix, 13 years after ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ was first released in theatres.

Variety said they do not see as many issues with the first scenario as with the second. But in both cases — if the show doesn’t get a greenlight or renewal — it can tie up writers for as long as eight to 10 weeks, during which time they can’t take other jobs. Even if the series does get ordered, the mini room writers often will not continue with the show, especially if the total episode order is 10 or less. “We’ve had situations with mini rooms where they have given us a lot of great information, and we’ve had other situations where the pilot script has been great but the other two scripts have not been great and the shows have hung themselves, basically, by requesting a mini room,” an exec says.

As the WGA begins its second week of bargaining for a new contract with the AMPTP today, the guild is prepared for a strike, if it comes to that, though that’s by no means a foregone conclusion. The WGA’s current film and TV contract expires May 1.

The Writers Guild of America is taking on the robots.

Hundreds of WGA East members who work for Hearst Magazines Media are planning to stage a walkout Thursday to demand a fair contract. The half-day action is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET and will last the remainder of the day.

Leaders of SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 showed their support for the WGA on Monday, posing with WGA leaders shortly before the 11 a.m. start of the Writers Guild’s contract negotiations with producers at the AMPTP’s headquarters in Sherman Oaks.

The editorial staff at Fox affiliate WNYW-TV New York has voted unanimously to ratify a new four-year contract with the WGA East. The 52-member bargaining unit includes news writers, writer/producers, assignment editors, segment producers, news assistants and feed coordinators.

Much like the beginning of a Congressional hearing on a hot potato political topic, expectations for the first day of talks between the WGA and AMPTP were high, but largely began with formalities.

With its contract talks with the AMPTP set to start this morning, the WGA is telling its members in a new video what to expect in the coming weeks amid an expected media blackout on the negotiations.

EXCLUSIVE: First among Hollywood unions this year, the WGA is going face-to-face with the studios starting Monday in what’s expected to be contentious negotiations for a new overall contract. However, the atypical pole position for the hard-hitting scribes this labor round is a consequence of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ rebuke of the DGA efforts to strike a pact a few months ago.

Just hours before the WGA and the studios are scheduled to start stridulous talks on a new overall contact, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have decided to publicly play nice, firmly.

Check here for more information about the inaugural Visionary Alliance and NHMC.

EXCLUSIVE: There was “fire and brimstone” at tonight’s WGA membership meeting – the last to be held before the start of contract negotiations with the AMPTP on Monday. The meeting, held via Zoom, was led by the co-chairs of the guild’s negotiating committee: former WGA West presidents Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman.

Leaders of the Writers Guild of America won’t discuss the specifics of the contract proposals they’ve exchanged with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. But in an interview with Deadline on Tuesday ahead of next week’s start of negotiations, they made it perfectly clear a deal can be reached without a strike if the companies take the needs of writers seriously.

Saying that “writers are not keeping up,” the WGA said today that its upcoming negotiations for a new film and TV contract “must significantly address writer compensation.” The talks are set to begin March 20, and the current contract expires May 1.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers exchanged proposals on Monday, as they prepare for face-to-face bargaining next week. Last week, the guild membership voted 98.4% in favor of the “pattern of demands,” a high-level summary of the guild’s top issues for a new basic agreement. The items include addressing “the abuses of mini-rooms” and increasing streaming residuals, among a dozen other issues. The proposals are far more detailed, and are not expected to be made public so as to preserve the confidentiality of negotiations.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Holy DC synergy! “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” stars Dame Helen Mirren and Zachary Levi will pop up on tonight’s episode of “The Masked Singer,” which is being billed as “DC Superheroes Night.” Variety has a first look at their appearance; scroll down to watch. Also appearing will be DC chief creative officer Jim Lee. All three will pop up to offer “superclues” about some of the night’s contestants. Mirren and Levi, who appear remotely on screen and not in person, present clues for two of the night’s contestants, “Gargoyle” and “Wolf,” while Lee presents a clue for “Squirrel.”