"It's a Wonderful Deal," sez RKO

The WGA has just announced another interim deal, signing with the modern incarnation of RKO Pictures (which, in its heydey, released films such as "Citizen Kane" and "It's A Wonderful Life").

It's the 13th such deal announced in the past month and comes a day after the guild signed similar agreements with Lionsgate and Marvel. The interim deals let the companies hire writers under the terms and conditions offered by the WGA before formal negotiations collapsed last month.

For the WGA, the deals are a way to gain leverage in persuading the congloms to resume formal talks.

The Friday afternoon announcement comes with a news blackout on the informal talks between WGA leaders and moguls. Those talks -- aimed at laying the groundwork for official bargaining to resume -- began on Tuesday.

The entire announcement from the WGA after the jump.

RKO Productions, Inc., a subsidiary of RKO Pictures, and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced today that they have reached an interim comprehensive agreement.

The company’s current production schedule, to be announced next week, includes several original screen projects, as well as the financing, production, and distribution of a number of new versions of classic films from RKO’s 1,300-film library.

RKO’s CEO, Ted Hartley, commented: “The negotiation with the Guild was smooth and business like; they kept their agreement and we kept ours. It all moved ahead at a steady pace and resulted in good feelings on both sides. This now releases the pent-up energies of the talented executives, producers, and writers at RKO. We all are eager to get back to creating great films and innovative programming today.”

“In the past, RKO gave the world such classics as King Kong, Citizen Kane, and It's a Wonderful Life. Now it looks to the future, signing an interim agreement that recognizes fair and respectful compensation for writers on the Internet and in new media. We applaud their forward thinking and are pleased to join with them in this agreement,” said Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America, East, and Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West, in a joint statement.

The deal is similar to agreements the WGA recently reached with Lionsgate, Marvel Studios, The Weinstein Company, United Artists, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Spyglass Entertainment, MRC, Jackson Bites, Mandate Films, and Worldwide Pants.

-- Dave McNary

Comments

[shortgirl]

But...but...but...haven't you heard how the WGA are unprofessional, unreasonable and impossible to deal with?