RSS Feeds
Lionsgate Pulls WGA Into A Negotiation Room For A Spat-Ending Quickie
Posted by Seth at 6:41 AM on January 26, 2008
Lionsgate, the plucky indie studio who mined the untold box office potential of film franchises featuring a creepy marionette on a tricycle and an equally creepy actor in grandma drag, has forged its own side deal with the WGA:
"Lionsgate is considered a leader in the industry and its signing an interim agreement again confirms that it is possible for writers to be compensated fairly and respectfully for their work and for companies to operate profitably," said WGA West prexy Patric M. Verrone and WGA East prexy Michael Winship.
After the jump: The fates of Mad Men and Weeds hang in the balance!
And the timing of the deal is particularly good for Lionsgate's TV biz; the indie's Showtime comedy "Weeds" would normally be gearing up for pre-production right about now, and its understood that the company had hoped to begin prepping the second season of its much-praised AMC drama "Mad Men" as early as last November.
Whether Lionsgate's arrangement will result in the same kind of first-studio-to-cave bounty piled upon United Artists, with a WGA-branded dumptruck beeping its way backwards and unloading a small mountain of cheap-to-produce, Jessica Alba-friendly screenplays at their front doors, the tides of this industry-eviscerating tidal wave at least appear to be inching backwards. If nothing else, audiences suffering distended remote-control thumbs from a season of TV malnourishment can feast on the sweet, life-giving properties of a freshly baked batch of Mary-Louise Parker's signature brownies, washed down with a replenishing glass of scotch from the decanter sitting on Jon Hamm's desk.
- Lionsgate signs as WGA talks go on [variety.com]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
CrankYank
Posted 10:45 AM 25/1/08
They lead the industry in undeserved Oscar wins based on Everest-like piles of free screeners.
Seth - we love you, but you don't have to grab every egg in the metaphor basket.
CrankYank
viruswithshoes
Posted 10:41 AM 25/1/08
@BoHan: I'll do my best to re-arrange things after I'm finished with Christina Hendricks. Just knock.
viruswithshoes
BoHan
Posted 10:37 AM 25/1/08
I want to be sitting on Jon Hamm's desk. Make this happen. Please.
BoHan
viruswithshoes
Posted 10:29 AM 25/1/08
"Lionsgate is considered a leader in the industry..."
What industry would that be?
viruswithshoes
CrankYank
Posted 11:59 AM 25/1/08
@swallowyourhalo: Can Dan Rather guest edit? Cause that would be hilarious and I think you can get him.
CrankYank
NOGRUMPYS
Posted 11:45 AM 25/1/08
Litter boxes - litter boxes
litter boxes used by kitty cats
Litter boxes in the bathroom
Litter boxes used by cats
There are black cats, and tabby cats
and even a Calico
and they all use litter boxes
and it all smells quite the same......
NOGRUMPYS
swallowyourhalo
Posted 11:36 AM 25/1/08
@CrankYank: Every metaphor? It's not like he's Dan Rather or Dennis Miller. When we start reading headlines like "Hot dilly, the frogs are in heat and the barndoor's on fire!" or "David Bowie? More like Queen Elizabeth waxing her undercarriage to the tune of 'Rocket Man'" we'll know the barrel has officially been scraped clean.
swallowyourhalo
SuperUnison
Posted 11:06 AM 25/1/08
This is actually pretty great news. Yeah, Lionsgate has it's exploitation side. However, I'm always way more psyched so see their next scheme to milk the lowest common denominator for 20-30 million on a movie that cost 10-15 million than I am to see any of the summer tentpoles. Plus, they've produced and distributed some stuff that's flat out excellent.
I'm also glad that "Mad Men" and "Weeds" are going to stay on schedule, since those are both excellent shows that just keep getting better.
SuperUnison
hack-a-rific
Posted 1:00 PM 25/1/08
'distended remote-control thumbs'
love. this. visual.
hack-a-rific
CrankYank
Posted 12:39 PM 25/1/08
@swallowyourhalo: Definitely. Dan, Alex and Molly could reinvent surrealism together.
CrankYank
Evanessence
Posted 12:38 PM 25/1/08
Of COURSE "studios" (*COUGH-AHEM-COUGH*) like UA and Lionsgate can afford to cut deals. They HAVE NO revenue streams to argue over. Yep, I guess those Execs at Lionsgate REALLY sweated over having to give away ALL of those precious interwebs dollars huh? Hell, UA thinks "new media technology" is the viewmaster viewer! Maybe when a studio that earns money and doesn't refer to its product as "picture shows" and "talkies" cuts a deal...THEN it might define progress!
Evanessence
swallowyourhalo
Posted 12:20 PM 25/1/08
@CrankYank: Only if all his articles are narrated by him via podcast.
swallowyourhalo
Barbarella
Posted 10:05 AM 26/1/08
@BoHan: You took the dirty thoughts right out of my head...
Barbarella
anotherlovetko
Posted 5:33 PM 25/1/08
Well...
They own an online distribution network. They have a deal with Itunes. They have a deal with Netflix. They had a deal with Walmart's online service before that galumphin' behemoth pulled the plug on it. They sell and buy to and from the big boys, yet they weren't afraid of deviating from the big boys' network. They gots ballz in my book...
anotherlovetko
Seth
Posted 4:37 PM 25/1/08
@CrankYank: I count two metaphors in that comment.
Seth
CrankYank
Posted 8:05 PM 27/1/08
@Seth: Damn! Am I on a budget now?
CrankYank