The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are ‘almost there’ in regards to reaching a deal to end the historic 145-day writer’s strike.
According to THR, sources say the two parties are very close to reaching a final compromise with lawyers hard at work on the contract’s language since Friday night – translating agreed deal points into proper legal jargon.
Wording regarding regulations on artificial intelligence is said to be one final hurdle to clear. The studio side reportedly made moves in the previous days on issues like A.I., TV staffing sizes and compensation tied to the success of streaming projects.
The big four CEOs – Disney’s Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos – who were on hand for the three days did not appear to be in attendance on Saturday, though reps from the studios appeared via Zoom.
It’s reported that once studio-side lawyers have completed their side, the contracts will be sent to the WGA for review. The hope is a tentative agreement could be finalized before the end of the day.
Once a deal is done, and the contract is ratified by membership, the AMPTP must then turn its attention towards making a deal with SAG-AFTRA.
Update #1: The WGA is now reviewing what the studios call their ‘best and final offer’ and going over deal points. An official response to the AMPTP is expected to come on Sunday.
Update #2: Both the WGA & AMPTP have released a joint statement saying they “met for bargaining on Saturday and will meet again on Sunday.”
