Weinsteins to make deal with striking writers

One of Hollywood’s largest independent film producers says it expects to reach a deal with striking Hollywood writers.

The Weinstein Company was anticipating that an agreement with the Writers Guild of America would be signed by today, spokesman Matthew Frankel said.

The deal would be the second reached with big-screen producers and would allow the company to resume production.

United Artists reached an agreement with the guild on Monday to resume production.

The guild previously agreed to a deal with Worldwide Pants, the company that makes David Letterman’s late-night TV show.

Terms of the Weinstein deal were not released. But a person familiar with the agreement said it was similar to the interim deal reached by Worldwide Pants.

A central demand has been compensation for projects distributed on the internet. Contract talks broke off on December 7.

The studio alliance has downplayed the significance of the United Artists agreement and said “one-off deals” would not lead to a permanent solution of the dispute.

Brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein founded Miramax, which became part of the independent film movement in the 1990s and has produced a number of high-grossing movies. The Walt Disney Company bought Miramax in the early 1990s, but the Weinstein brothers continued to run the studio until 2005, when they left to form the Weinstein Company.

The Weinstein name has been attached to award-winning films including 'The English Patient', 'Good Will Hunting' and 'Chicago'.

While the initial catalyst for the deal was Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s relationships with writers, it was their concern over the strike’s growing impact, job losses and the negotiations stalemate that pushed them to act, according to the source familiar with the deal.

The Weinsteins were also disturbed by the effect the strike that began on November 5 was having on the awards season, typically a time of celebration for the industry – and, for the Weinstein Company, an important promotional tool.

Under threat of union picketing and a boycott by nominated actors, Sunday’s Golden Globes switched from a live ceremony filled with stars to a news conference at which winners will simply be announced.