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Directors Hope to Call 'Cut!' on Strike

Guild plans to talk with studios, raising pressure on writers

By Zach Samalin,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 13, 2007 4:15 PM CST
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(Newser) – Hollywood directors will likely begin contract negotiations with studios in early January, a move that will put added pressure on writers to resolve their strike, the AP reports. The directors' guild had held off for two months in deference to the writers, but the latest collapse of talks has changed things. "We can no longer abdicate our responsibility to our own members," said the directors' guild chief.

 Hollywood continues to hemorrhage jobs and money five weeks after the strike began, the AP notes. "Now the situation is dire," said Michael Apsted. The impasse "has cost the jobs of tens of thousands of entertainment industry workers," he said, and no end is in sight.

Writers Guild of America members Ronald Moore, left, and Joss Whedon unpack thousands of pencils as they prepare to deliver half a million fan-donated pencils to NBC Universal Chief Executive Officer and President Jeff Zucker, in a campaign by fans to demonstrate support for writers of striking series outside the...
Writers Guild of America members Ronald Moore, left, and Joss Whedon unpack thousands of pencils as they prepare to deliver half a million fan-donated pencils to NBC Universal Chief Executive Officer...   (Associated Press)
Thousands of Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers and others march down Avenue Of The Stars in the fifth day of their strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in a rally at Fox Plaza in Los Angeles' Century City district in this Nov. 9, 2007...
Thousands of Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers and others march down Avenue Of The Stars in the fifth day of their strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in...   (Associated Press)
Writer Steve Byrnes walks past a mural depicting legendary Hollywood actors as he joins thousands of people from unions including the Teamsters, Service Employees International, the California Nurses Association and other supporters, joining Writers Guild of America (WGA) on a march down Hollywood Boulevard in the third week of the...
Writer Steve Byrnes walks past a mural depicting legendary Hollywood actors as he joins thousands of people from unions including the Teamsters, Service Employees International, the California Nurses...   (Associated Press)
Director Michael Apted poses in New York, in this Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006 file photo.
Director Michael Apted poses in New York, in this Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006 file photo.   (Associated Press)
Gil Cates takes questions from the press during an Oscars news conference outside of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, in this file photo of March 3, 2006. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill,File)
Gil Cates takes questions from the press during an Oscars news conference outside of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, in this file photo of March 3, 2006. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill,File)   (Associated Press)
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Writers Guild of America • Hollywood writers' strike • Directors Guild of America

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