JLA Doomed to Suffer from Strike?

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Hollywood studios have been scampering to build up a stockpile of movies for the past six months, in lieu of the oncoming strikes that the Screenwriters, Directors and Actors guilds have all been threatening. June of 2008 was supposed to be the deadline for Hollywood to make good on new contracts, but it looks as if the Screenwriters guild are going to move early, and lay waist to the Justice League in the process.

In a quest for a better contract, insiders that have requested to go unnamed have explained that the screenwriter’s guild is looking at the near 150 feature films that are candidates for production early next year as possible leverage tools for a better deal. The biggest movie (at least from our perspective, and probably from a fiscal standpoint, Warner Bros.’s as well) at risk is the Justice League movie.

Currently, the Justice League script is unfinished, with “no final script” green lighted by Warner Bros., the studio behind the epic movie. Plans were to begin production February of 2008, after a script would likely have been completed by the end of this year. However considering how big the JL movie would be as a strike-filler, the SW guild are, logically enough, looking at this as a boon for them!

So the question remains, can the SW guild make the most of their October 31 deadline, by promising to strike after that date if a deal is not reached?

Guild negotiators who have been involved in the process have also taken recent steps that may be hinting towards an early walkout. Even before the deadline is reached, they would be able to call for a vote from their 12,000 members. Negotiators for the guilds and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers – which represents studios and networks – are planning to meet this Thursday.

From a New York Times article on this issue; Barbara Brogliatti, a spokeswoman for the producers’ alliance, said the studios had never assumed writers would keep working after the expiration of their contract. “Every studio and every network has contingency plans,” she said, and those plans “assume there could be a walkout on Oct. 31.”

However, that being said, I would have to say that the contingency plans that they have in mind are half-baked at best, considering the sheer weight that was placed on the likelihood of a joint strike next year. I find it hard to believe that any studio has been preparing for a November onward strike.

Guild leaders are keeping an eye out on studios and companies to see whether any have left themselves exposed to an attack. Sadly, it looks as if Warner Bros. was relying too heavily on the JL moving going ahead for production next year. They’ve now become a prime candidate for attack!

We’ll continue to keep an eye out on news regarding the strike, and try and keep you updated with any breaking news.

For the full New York Times article, click here
For “Hollywood Strike Watch” at IGN, click here.

Joshua S. Hill
10/1/2007
Source: Comic Book Movie

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