WGA Readies For Possible Strike...

[villager]

Auguries, as they say in the oracle business, are everywhere. Michael Cieply, writing in a late September NY Times article headlined "Movie Writers Eye Early Walkout," notes that "over the last few days, negotiators for the Writers Guild of America West and the Writers Guild of America East, whose contract with entertainment companies expires on Oct. 31, have been taking a hard look at the almost 150 feature films that are candidates for production by early next year."

The reason being, he continues, to figure out "whether writers, in the event no deal is reached, can inflict maximum damage on their bargaining opponents by striking immediately rather than continuing to work and letting the studios add those films to their strike stockpile."

Erik Davis, writing on the fannish, AOL-owned "Cinematical" site, noted that an early walkout – ahead of next year's SAG/DGA duoply of contract expiration – would not only derail anticipated projects like "Justice League" over at Warner Bros . – for which no finished script exists – but that such derailment would be the entire point: "It's a smart move by the WGA; I mean, why strike in June when studios have already managed to stockpile enough canned beans to last a year or two? Strike now while they're still rushing to secure casts, and budgets and rewrites. Strike now when they need you the most. Personally, I'd be very surprised if Justice League of America actually makes it into production by early next year. Even if the writer's don't strike next month, casting has been one helluva uphill climb."...

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/usa/news/article_1370523.php/WGA_readies_for_possible_strike__UPDATE_