UPDATED: The writers strike has been going on for over three months now, and Warner Bros. Television has taken a bold move by suspending the remaining overall deals with some of its top creators. This includes Greg Berlanti Productions, Bill Lawrence’s Doozer Productions, and Mindy Kaling’s Kaling International, according to sources. The calls were reportedly made last night. JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot is also in the process of being notified, sources say. John Wells’ Productions had its pact suspended back in June. There has been conflicting information regarding the suspension of Chuck Lorre Prods.’ deal, which may have happened earlier.
The development comes exactly three months after WBTV and other studios began sending letters to writer-producers under overall and first-look agreements who don’t have series in production or post-production, informing them of the suspension of their deals. It is now understood that WBTV has decided to suspend some of its top talent, especially those with active projects.
For most of the top showrunners at WBTV and other studios and streamers, it is believed that their arrangements are of a suspend-and-extend nature. This means that the time of the suspension will be added to the end of their term. However, there is concern for lower and mid-level pacts that may expire by the end of the strike.
Unlike the 2007-08 WGA strike, there have not been any overall deal terminations (force majeure) yet. Studios have chosen to stick with suspensions, avoiding payment for the duration of the work stoppage. One reason for this is that studios had already reduced their rosters in the past year or so.
