Hollywood writers will be allowed to work on two film studios'
projects under two separate agreements reached on Thursday, said
the Writers Guild of America (WGA).
The WGA said it reached the agreements with Lionsgate and Marvel
Studios after difficult negotiations.
Lionsgate is the production company behind upcoming films such
as Rambo, The Eye, Punisher 2, Saw
5 and The Spirit. It also produces cable television
series.
"Lionsgate is considered a leader in the industry, and its
signing an interim agreement again confirms that it is possible for
both writers to be compensated fairly and respectfully for their
work and for companies to operate profitably," said Patric Verrone
and Michael Winship, presidents of the WGA's west and east
branches, respectively.
The agreement with Marvel Studios allows writers to resume work
on its development slate, including Captain America,
Thor, Ant-Man and The Avengers, said
studio Chairman David Maisel.
The recently formed Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel
Entertainment, Inc. It is scheduled to release its comic-book film
projects Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk this
summer.
Verrone and Winship said they were pleased with signing of the
two agreements.
The WGA has previously reached interim agreements with other
production companies such as United Artists, Worldwide Pants,
Spyglass Entertainment, MRC, Jackson Bites, Mandate Films and
Sidney Kimmel Entertainment.
Meanwhile, informal talks continued between the WGA and the
Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in hopes of
setting the stage for a full resumption of contract
negotiations.
The Hollywood writers began their strike on Nov. 5 primarily
over payment for work distributed online and through other forms of
new media.
In a sign that the union was making some concessions, WGA
leaders told studio chiefs this week that they would drop proposals
to unionize writers who work on animated movies and reality TV
shows. That demand was one of the main reasons for the breakdown of
formal talks.
(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2008)