Comments on: Strike Pushing Big Studio Movies Back To 2009 Because Screenwriters Unavailable

By: Hardy75

Hardy75 — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 01:26:00 +0000

Am I the only one who thinks the writers are wrong? They’re striking over nothing. The pie is shrinking rapidly and they want a bigger piece of it. The industries are down (film and TV) and they want to cripple them further by striking. Idiots. Good luck getting fans back after this. The reason writers have “public support” is because the other side (studios) make for an easy boogie man target.

By: David Alexander McDonald

David Alexander McDonald — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 21:56:52 +0000

Hey, Angry Troll:

Do you really think Sony is letting him take a vacation after paying him four million dollars? He’s getting notes from Hanks and Grazer and Ron Howard right now on how to fix the script.

Well, there really are only two ways to improve this script, I suspect: 1) Take Goldsman off of it or b) base it on something other than a Dan Brown “novel.” Oh wait, there’s a third way — 1 + 2.

Four million dollars for *this* and never mind how much the others in the package are getting?

By: Non WGA Writer

Non WGA Writer — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 21:18:41 +0000

Angry Writer,

Welcome to Hollywood where the rich get richer (and don’t have to abide by those pesky “rules) while the uknowns have to jump through hoops and face threats at every turn.

I’ve been astonished by how silent some of these high paid writers are on the subject while those lower than them picket during the day and right for the studios at night.

That is, if they bother to picket at all. Anyone seen Tarantino on a picket line? Charlie Kaufmann? David Koepp?

By: One Time Sitcom Writer

One Time Sitcom Writer — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 09:48:39 +0000

This sure as shit better not delay production on Police Academy 8: Mission To Development Hell

By: Carlo

Carlo — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:02:34 +0000

Dan… Brown…
The Da Vinci Code’s commercial success makes me lose hope in hollywood and humanity as we know it.

Eugh. Don’t remind me.

By: Writer

Writer — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:51:40 +0000

No way are the writers caving. We’d have to be idiots to take a bad deal at this point. Any deal we take is going to have to be over-the-top good, because everyone I know has already dug in and is ready to go for the long haul to get this contract right.

By: The Optimist

The Optimist — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:52:25 +0000

Why couldn’t you have said that Night at the Museum 2 has been delayed because it’ll be a terrible movie and nobody with any taste wants it to be made?

By: jack

jack — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 03:15:59 +0000

I wonder how many of any scripts that studios commision (strike or no strike) are really usable.

Fixed

By: John Brownlow

John Brownlow — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 03:03:30 +0000

Big deal. They lose nothing by postponing productions. Absolutely nothing.

Absolutely wrong. They lose the revenue stream for the movie. That means no income. These guys now operate on very short horizons, like everyone else in business. Promising a movie in 18 months time is not going to keep anyone’s money in the company.

By: john Brownlow

john Brownlow — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 03:00:33 +0000

Rearrange the following words into a well-known phrase or saying:

Iceberg, the, of, tip.

I know of at least one other tentpole movie that is in serious trouble.

Anyone who thinks the writers are going to cave quickly is out of their mind. It’s just amazingly solid. I say that as someone who was skeptical of this strike at the outset. I was taken aback by the degree of public support for the strike, as (I assume) were the AMPTP.

The only rumors of dissent are coming from inside AMPTP.

By: NickF

NickF — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:57:33 +0000

Do you have a link to that WSJ article?

By: J

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:16:49 +0000

I wonder how many of those 40 or so scripts that the Wall St. Journal says the studios commissioned right before the strike are really usable.

By: Norm A. Rae

Norm A. Rae — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:16:13 +0000

Wait!!

I thought the studios were preparing for this strike for two years!!

I thought we lost the leverage and played right into their hand!!

I thought the strike would MAKE the studio money, not push back major billion dollar tentpole pics a full year!!

I… I… I… !!

By: EB

EB — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:14:35 +0000

I work as an executive on many different films from many different sources, and I can tell you all the “suits” are absolutely certain that the writers will cave, especially if it continues past the holidays. And that the DGA will undermine the WGA strike. I hope it’s not true, just so that their smug, sanctimonious smiles will be wiped off their faces.

By: ChuckT

ChuckT — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:12:31 +0000

Big deal. They lose nothing by postponing productions. Absolutely nothing. Productions get postponed for far less (like crappy scripts).