Another meaningless interim deal signed with WGA
The striking writers have signed another interim deal with RKO Pictures. It’s the 13th such deal announced in the past month and comes a day after the guild signed similar agreements with Lionsgate and Marvel. The interim deals let the companies hire writers under the terms and conditions offered by the WGA before the formal negotiations collapsed last month.
For the WGA, the deals much like political endorsements in the primaries help the guild gain leverage in persuading the big studios to resume formal talks.
The AMPTA have responded to these deals as meaningless “one-off” agreements since the terms will be superceded when the AMPTP and WGA deal is finally reached.
The resumption of talks should occur next Tuesday. RKO’s slate is pretty bare, but the company’s 1,300 film library as well as its remake potential will now fall under the interim deal. RKO’s CEO Ted Hartley said in a statement:
“The negotiation with the Guild was smooth and business-like; they kept their agreement and we kept ours. It all moved ahead at a steady pace and resulted in good feelings on both sides. This now releases the pent-up energies of the talented executives, producers, and writers at RKO. We all are eager to get back to creating great films and innovative programming today.”
The WGA issued this statement:
“In the past, RKO gave the world such classics as ‘King Kong,’ ‘Citizen Kane’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ Now it looks to the future, signing an interim agreement that recognizes fair and respectful compensation for writers on the Internet and in new media. We applaud their forward thinking and are pleased to join with them in this agreement.”
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