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Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA announced Wednesday that it will hold a strike authorization vote as it seeks to get its “ducks in a row” ahead of June 7 negotiations with the major studios. The vote does not mean that the performers’ union will necessarily join the Writers Guild of America on the picket lines after its contract expires on June 30. In a press release, the union said its negotiating committee decided that a strike authorization would provide “maximum bargaining leverage” for the talks. “We must get all our ducks in a row should the need present itself,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in the release. “The prospect of a strike is not a first option, but a last resort. As my dad always says, ‘Better to have and not need than to need and not have!’”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The war between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis does not appear to be calming down any time soon — as both sides have traded lawsuits in a struggle for control over the company’s Orlando theme parks. In the latest move, the DeSantis-backed board that oversees Disney World, EPCOT and the other parks will take up a proposal on Wednesday to establish a code enforcement system. According to a staff report, the proposal would allow code enforcement officers to impose civil penalties of up to $500 per infraction per day — the maximum allowed by state law. The board would also appoint a special magistrate who could hear appeals of citations.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Negotiators for the Directors Guild of America on Tuesday gave a video preview of their upcoming talks with the studios, saying they are “fighting to receive our fair share of the new, global future.” The DGA begins its round of bargaining on Wednesday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The guild is focused on rewriting the streaming residual formula to account for the growth in foreign subscribers. “The explosive popularity of streaming around the world has transformed how, and where, our work is viewed, and our contracts must adapt to changing production and distribution,” said Karen Gaviola, negotiations co-chair.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer If Hollywood’s labor drama were a script, this would be the start of Act Two. On Wednesday, as writers walk picket lines outside the major studios, the Directors Guild of America will sit down for its negotiations on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. A deal — if they are able to reach one — could help resolve the writers strike. That’s what happened 15 years ago, when the Writers Guild of America was on strike and the directors went in for their contract negotiations. Leveraging the pressure of an industry-wide work stoppage that was in its third month, the DGA secured milestone agreements for unfettered jurisdiction over the internet and a residual formula for what was then quaintly known as “new media” exploitation of movies and TV shows.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Paramount has filed a motion to throw out a lawsuit over the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” arguing that a nude scene with underage actors does not amount to “childhood sexual assault.” Actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were 16 and 17 when they starred in the movie, which was directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film’s famous bedroom scene includes a lingering shot of Whiting’s buttocks and a brief glimpse of Hussey’s breasts. The actors, now in their 70s, filed a $500 million suit in December, alleging that Zeffirelli pressured them into performing in the nude. They accused Paramount, the distributor, of profiting from their sexual exploitation.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer To a lot of people outside the negotiating room, a strike by Hollywood writers felt inevitable. But it didn’t feel that way inside the room. Until the last day or two, negotiators for both labor and management believed that the other side would give, and that a deal would be reached at the last moment. But picket lines in Los Angeles and New York this week tell a different story. The conflict that led to the breakdown of talks on the night of May 1 began the day before. On April 30, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers delivered a 40-page package of proposals to WGA’s negotiating committee. It did not include key elements that the Writers Guild of America has insisted are essential to sealing a new three-year contract, including a mandatory minimum number of weeks for TV writers and a minimum staff size for writers rooms.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer New York is poised to dramatically increase its film tax incentive from $420 million a year to $700 million, as it looks to stave off competition from New Jersey and Georgia. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an agreement Thursday night on a $229 billion budget, after weeks of negotiations with state lawmakers. Among many other provisions, the budget will increase the size of the film tax credit program, as well as raise the credit percentage from 25% to 30%, bringing it in line with rival states. The program will also be extended to 2034, according to a source familiar with the conceptual agreement.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer During a labor negotiation, management almost never speaks publicly. The current negotiations with the Writers Guild of America are no exception. The studio chiefs have said almost nothing, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has limited itself to a few prepared statements. But Jeff Ruthizer is talking. Ruthizer retired in 2009 as senior vice president of labor relations at ABC. Over a 40-year career, he worked for ABC, NBC, RKO and then ABC again. He negotiated hundreds of contracts and went through numerous strikes, several of them involving NABET, the broadcast technicians’ union.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Nick Bakay has had a 30-year career in TV and film, including writing on traditional network sitcoms like “Young Sheldon” and “The King of Queens.” But the industry has shifted in recent years. Now he’s working on “How to Be a Bookie,” an eight-episode series for Max. The show is scheduled to wrap production on April 28, getting in just under the wire before a possible strike by the Writers Guild of America. “The game has suddenly changed so drastically,” Bakay says. “If you’re going to go from 22 episodes and residuals to eight episodes and no residuals, that’s a body blow.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Negotiations on a new Writers Guild of America contract could go through the weekend, as the sides continue to trade proposals ahead of the Monday deadline. The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and may hold a session on Saturday, according to a source close to the situation. Given the looming deadline and prospect of a strike grinding Hollywood production activity to a halt, it’s no surprise that the guild and AMPTP representatives would look to work through the weekend in the hopes of avoiding industry-wide disruption. Another source close to the situation emphasized that nothing has been formally scheduled, and may not be until Friday.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Jeff Shell was forced out as CEO of NBCUniversal after an internal investigation into his relationship with Hadley Gamble, an overseas correspondent for CNBC, two sources confirmed to Variety on Monday. In a securities filing on Monday, Comcast said that the company received a complaint of “inappropriate conduct,” including sexual harassment. During the investigation, “evidence was uncovered that corroborated the allegations,” leading to Shell’s termination “with cause.” Gamble is based in Abu Dhabi, where she anchors the “Capital Connection” broadcast. She has worked for the network since 2010. Her previous jobs included stints at CNN in Abu Dhabi and at ABC News and Fox News in Washington.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A key hearing in the “Rust” manslaughter case has been postponed until August, as New Mexico prosecutors say they need more time to complete a fuller investigation. Prosecutors announced on Thursday that they would drop charges against Alec Baldwin, after new evidence came to light. But the state is still pursuing involuntary manslaughter charges against Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer who loaded Baldwin’s gun. Baldwin was preparing for a scene at a film ranch near Santa Fe in 2021 when his gun fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The gun was supposed to be loaded only with inert “dummy” rounds, but instead included a live bullet that bore similar brand markings.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Prosecutors are expected to drop charges against Alec Baldwin in the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, sources confirmed on Thursday. In a statement, Baldwin’s lawyer said he was pleased with the outcome.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The DGA reminded its members this week that the union has a “no-strike clause” which will remain in place even if the WGA goes on strike after May 1. The union sent out an email on Tuesday to answer members’ questions about a possible writers’ strike. The DGA contract does not expire until June 30, so the directors cannot go on strike before then. That does not mean that individual directors will be forced to cross picket lines — just that they can be fired for not showing up to work. “Our no-strike clauses are clear,” the union’s leaders said. “However, as an individual, you cannot be forced to work. If you, as an individual, refuse to cross a picket line and perform your DGA-covered services, then your Employer has the right to replace you.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Paramount Global fired back on Wednesday in the battle over “South Park” streaming rights, accusing Warner Bros. Discovery of withholding $52 million in license fees. Warner Bros. Discovery sued Paramount in February, alleging that the company had breached its $500 million licensing deal with HBO Max by diverting “South Park” specials to Paramount+. On Wednesday, Paramount filed a counterclaim, alleging that HBO Max got everything it bargained for under the agreement, but has nevertheless withheld two required payments of $26 million apiece. The countersuit, filed in New York Supreme Court, also argues that the unpaid fees cover the 300-plus episodes of “South Park” now streaming on HBO Max, which are not in dispute in the lawsuit.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer TV production in Los Angeles dropped sharply in the first three months of 2023, amid industry retrenchment and general concern about a strike, according to a new report from FilmLA. Overall, on-location production days fell by 24%, compared to the first quarter of 2022. Most of the decline was in TV, which fell 35.8% over the same period. “The numbers are more dire than we thought they would be,” said Paul Audley, president of FilmLA. FilmLA has been reporting year-over-year declines for the last three quarters, as the post-COVID production surge has wound down. But Audley noted that studios are also reassessing their content strategy, and there is now the fear of a WGA strike, which has put some decisions about future production on pause.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Talks between the Writers Guild of America and the AMPTP are expected to resume in earnest this week, with just two weeks left before the May 1 deadline to get a deal. The WGA leadership spent the last week meeting with members to encourage them to vote yes on a strike authorization. The deadline for members to vote is noon on Monday, and the membership is expected to deliver a resounding vote of support, likely in the high 90% range. In communications to members, guild captains urged members to deliver a “very high yes vote turnout” to maximize negotiators’ leverage. They also argued that the studios have been unwilling to budge on the guild’s main issues.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Amazon has been awarded $35.3 million in state tax incentives for TV production, including the largest amount ever granted by the state of California for a single film or TV season. “Citadel,” a big-budget spy thriller set to debut on April 28, was awarded $25 million to relocate to California from the U.K. for its second season. The show is expected to pay $119 million in “qualified” expenditures — which include below-the-line workers and California vendors — making it the biggest show ever lured from out of state by the credit. The Hollywood Reporter has called the show “pricey and troubled,” noting that its first-season budget soared above $200 million due to a change in the creative team and extensive reshoots.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push to extend the California film and TV tax credit has hit a snag over the issue of industry diversity. Newsom’s budget proposal includes extending the $330 million filming incentive, which is currently set to expire in 2025, for an additional five years. But at a hearing last month, Assemblyman Phil Ting, who chairs the Budget Committee, faulted the California Film Commission for failing to produce diversity data for productions that have already received tax benefits. He also questioned the need to “rush” the extension without first seeing the data.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA will begin negotiations on a new basic agreement on June 7, the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced on Thursday. The union will be the third to enter bargaining this year, after the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America. The SAG-AFTRA contract expires on June 30, leaving time for just a few weeks of talks before the deadline. “Both the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA are approaching this process as an opportunity to engage in thoughtful and interactive conversations that result in a mutually-beneficial deal,” the union and the AMPTP said in a joint statement on Thursday.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Hollywood studios and entertainment unions are close to a compromise on a new California law to tighten set safety rules, which comes in response to the fatal “Rust” shooting. The compromise would adopt the film industry’s firearm safety rules, which are currently voluntary, into state law. It would also mandate specialized training for armorers and others who work with firearms on sets, according to sources familiar with the talks. The two sides have been working for more than a year on the legislation following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in New Mexico in October 2021.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Mo’Nique has filed a lawsuit alleging that Paramount and CBS owe her millions in profit participation from her show “The Parkers.” The show ran for five seasons on UPN, from 1999 through 2004. The show’s creators — Ralph Farquhar, Sara Finney-Johnson and Vida Spears — filed a similar lawsuit last June, alleging that CBS had engaged in various forms of “financial malfeasance” to artificially inflate expenses and suppress profit payments. The network settled that case out of court in November. Mo’Nique, whose legal name is Monique Hicks, filed her own suit on Wednesday, repeating many of the claims in the show creators’ lawsuit.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA announced Tuesday that it has bought an office building in North Hollywood for $46.6 million and plans to relocate its headquarters there in the next few years. The performers’ union has been renting its headquarters in the Museum Square building in the mid-Wilshire area. In 2015, the guild extended its lease into 2026. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s executive director, said in a statement that the new building will provide more space and better facilities, and that the union will save money over the long run by owning instead of renting. The new building is at 12020 Chandler Blvd., adjacent to a stop on the Orange Line busway and a few blocks from the NoHo Arts District. The building is currently home to Pilgrim Media Group and Screen Engine/ASI.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan announced on Monday that it has agreed to pay $15 million to older performers who lost health coverage due to eligibility changes made in 2020. Under a settlement agreement, the health plan will also pay up to $5.6 million over the next eight years to older performers who no longer qualify for coverage. The settlement resolves a class action lawsuit filed in December 2020 by Ed Asner, a former SAG president, and nine other performers. Asner and the other plaintiffs alleged that the plan had discriminated against older members by raising the earnings floor to qualify for health benefits and excluding residuals from the earnings threshold. The plaintiffs said the change forced nearly 12,000 participants off the plan.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Labor negotiations are typically marked by revolutionary rhetoric followed by incremental gains. For all the pre-game talk about rewriting the economic order, the end result typically looks like three yards and a cloud of dust. The Writers Guild of America argues that its current negotiation is different, and that it must result in a dramatic overhaul of writer compensation. Central to that case is the claim that writer pay is declining. But is it? The guild has cited internal survey data showing that TV writer-producer weekly pay has dropped 4% (or 23% adjusted for inflation) since 2013.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer David Halls, the first assistant director on “Rust,” pleaded no contest on Friday to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, making him the first person to be held accountable for the shooting death of the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. Halls, who was the film’s safety coordinator, appeared remotely for a plea hearing before a Santa Fe judge. Asked how he wished to plea, he answered, “No contest, your honor.” He will not serve jail time. Instead, he will serve six months of unsupervised probation. He is also expected to testify at a preliminary hearing in May, as prosecutors pursue involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin and the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer After nearly three years, Hollywood’s COVID protocols will come to an end on May 12, meaning that productions will no longer be able to mandate vaccines after that date. The industry has been gradually relaxing its on-set regulations over the last several months. But with the federal government officially ending its COVID emergency declaration on May 11, the studios and the guilds agreed to scrap the remaining rules as of the following day. The vaccine mandate has become increasingly controversial over the last couple of months. In February, Woody Harrelson called the protocols “absurd” in an interview with the New York Times.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Santa Fe D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies will step aside in the prosecution of Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and has named two lawyers to take over the case. Carmack-Altwies appointed Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis as special prosecutors on the case. Both are private attorneys based in Albuquerque. The move comes after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled on Monday that Carmack-Altwies could not continue to prosecute the case if she appointed a special prosecutor. Baldwin and “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed were charged in January with involuntary manslaughter for the death of Hutchins. Gutierrez Reed mistakenly loaded a live round into Baldwin’s gun. Baldwin was holding it when it fired — he has denied pulling the trigger — killing Hutchins and wounding the film’s director.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Netflix was sued on Wednesday over “No Limit,” a fictionalized film that suggests a free diver deliberately killed his wife in a diving incident. The French-language film is based on the true story of Francisco “Pipin” Ferreras and his wife, Audrey Mestre. They were a celebrity couple within the world of free diving, an extreme sport in which divers descend hundreds of feet without oxygen. Mestre drowned while attempting a dive in the Dominican Republic in 2002, after the device that was supposed to carry her to the surface malfunctioned. The film tells the story of “Pascal Gautier” and “Roxane Aubrey,” a fictionalized version of the couple. Gautier is depicted as abusive and jealous of Aubrey’s success. In the climactic scene, the film strongly implies that Gautier sabotaged her compressed air tank, leaving it without enough air to bring her to the surface.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The conversation about a new WGA contract has centered on the streaming economy, and how writers can make their way in a world of shorter TV seasons and slackening demand for shows. But setting industry trends aside, there’s another major factor that’s putting the squeeze on writers: inflation. The WGA last updated its contract minimums in 2020, just before inflation soared to its highest levels in 40 years. The contract provided annual increases in weekly minimums of 1.5%, 2.5% and 2.25%. With inflation climbing as high as 9.1% in 2022, and still stuck at 6%, those nominal increases have turned out be represent sharp cuts in terms of buying power.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A judge on Monday blocked the Santa Fe district attorney from appointing a new prosecutor in the “Rust” case, marking another setback for the prosecution. Mary Carmack-Altwies, the elected D.A., said at a hearing Monday that the office is in “dire straits” due to a manpower shortage, and needs an outside lawyer to help prosecute Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed for the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. But Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that the D.A. could not appoint a “special prosecutor” unless the D.A.’s office plans to recuse itself entirely from the case.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed is seeking to block the appointment of a new prosecutor in her involuntary manslaughter case, after the first one resigned. Gutierrez Reed and actor Alec Baldwin have both been charged in the death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was accidentally shot on set in October 2021. In a brief filed on Friday, Gutierrez Reed’s lawyer argued that Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies is misusing the New Mexico statute that allows for the appointment of an outside prosecutor. “The statute is not designed to give district attorneys a taxpayer-funded supplemental ‘war chest’ to prosecute cases involving ‘high profile’ actors or individuals,” wrote defense lawyer Jason Bowles.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Gwyneth Paltrow took the stand on Friday afternoon, telling a Utah jury that she was not the one to blame for a ski accident seven years ago. Paltrow is being sued by Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, who alleges that she crashed into him at the upscale Deer Valley Resort. In her testimony, Paltrow described watching her children ski downhill when Sanderson abruptly crashed into her from behind. “I was skiing and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart,” she said. “And then there was a body pressing against me.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The solo TV auteur may soon be a thing of the past. The Writers Guild of America will sit down with the studios on Monday, and high on the agenda is setting a minimum staffing level for writers rooms. That means the days when Mike White or Craig Mazin could write an entire season of prestige TV all by themselves could be coming to an end. The guild argues that studios are squeezing more work out of fewer writers over a shorter time span, and paying them less than they’re entitled to. And the union’s leadership believes that it’s time to set basic standards around the size and duration of a writers’ room.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A federal judge has thrown out a defamation suit brought by a retired police officer who argued that the Netflix docuseries “Making a Murderer” falsely accused him of planting evidence. In a ruling on summary judgment on Friday, Judge Brett Ludwig found that the plaintiff, Andrew Colborn, had failed to show that Netflix or the filmmakers had acted with “actual malice” in crafting their portrayal of him. The docuseries, which debuted in December 2015, pursued the defense theory that police had framed a man, Steven Avery, for a murder he did not commit. Avery was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, though he continues to seek various appeals.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Andrea Reeb, the special prosecutor in the “Rust” case, resigned on Tuesday, saying she did not want questions about her dual roles as a legislator and prosecutor to “cloud” the issues. The move is another setback for the prosecution of Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who are accused of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. The prosecution previously dropped a five-year sentencing enhancement against both defendants, after discovering that the law did not apply at the time of Hutchins’ death. Reeb was hired last August by Mary Carmack-Altwies, the Santa Fe district attorney, to lead the prosecution. A longtime prosecutor from Clovis, N.M., Reeb was elected in November as a Republican member of the state House of Representatives.