WGA Strike Authorization Meeting: Sides Remain “Far Away” From A Deal Despite “A Little Bit Of Progress” At Bargaining Table

On very good terms. Jennifer Aniston and ex-husband Justin Theroux shared a hug after reuniting in New York City.

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho took aim at Feyenoord boss Arne Slot after he said he prefers to watch Pep Guardiola's Manchester City rather than AS Roma.

Ethan Shanfeld SPOILER ALERT: This recap contains spoilers for Season 4, Episode 5 of “Succession,” now streaming on HBO Max. It’s a new era at Waystar Royco, as newly branded co-CEOs Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) convene in their late father’s office to strategize for a meeting with Norwegian tech billionaire Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Wary of their positions post-GoJo merger — and perhaps genuinely concerned about the Roy kids’ ability to execute the deal — Gerri (J. Smith Cameron), Karl (David Rasche) and Frank (Peter Friedman) make their unwanted advice extra available, while Shiv (Sarah Snook) is conspicuously missing from the war room.

READ MORE:Jonnie Irwin furious as he 'pulls himself off sickbed' to watch SpursThe Geordie actor was best known for his role as Simon Meredith in Emmerdale from 2003. His character was in a tumultuous relationship with Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) which eventually ended when Nicola tried to seduce Simon's best friend. He left the soap in 2006 when his character jetted to Costa Rica.

Former Emmerdale actor Dale Meeks has tragically passed away aged 47. Dale appeared on the ITV soap as Simon Meredith from 2003 until the character's departure from the Yorkshire Dales in 2006. He also had roles in Byker Grover, Heartbeat and most recently The Hunt for Raoul Moat.

In a week when distributors and exhibitors are reconvening for their annual Las Vegas meet-up, CinemaCon, and celebrating the post-pandemic resurge of the box office, the motion picture industry is bracing for a potential WGA strike.

Sophia Scorziello editor The possibility of labor strife crippling the entertainment industry was the dominant topic of conversation at Variety’s Power of Law breakfast, presented by City National Bank on April 20 in Beverly Hills. The event honored veteran entertainment lawyer Craig Emanual, of Paul Hastings, and celebrated those profiled in Variety’s Legal Impact Report, which recognizes attorneys for their work in keeping the media and entertainment business humming. Claudia Eller, chief production officer for Variety, opened the event with a Q&A with Erica Huggins, president of Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door production company, to talk about their expansion in the industry. Immediately, the conversation shifted to the possibility of the Writers Guild of America going on strike next month. Huggins admitted she believes a work stoppage will happen, though she hopes it won’t.

Variety reports that Luca Guadagnino will start shooting “Queer,” his next feature, in Rome this month now that he’s wrapped post-production on “Challengers,” in theaters this September. This marks the most rapid creative pace for Guadagnino in his whole career: three films in as many years.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Luca Guadagnino will next direct the William S. Burroughs adaptation “Queer” with Daniel Craig playing the renowned counterculture author’s alter ego, an outcast American expat who lives in Mexico, and “Outer Banks” star Drew Starkey starring as a younger man with whom he becomes madly infatuated. “Queer” will also topline Lesley Manville (“The Crown”), frequent Wes Anderson collaborator Jason Schwartzman; and Henry Zaga (“The New Mutants”), according to inside sources. The boldly ambitious indie film is set to start shooting this month at Rome’s refurbished Cinecittà Studios where the Mexico City-set movie will be filmed in its entirety.

DGA leaders have informed their members of their rights and responsibilities in the event of a writers strike against the studios.

Amber Dowling If you’re an aspiring TV writer in Canada, it’s quite possible your script is in Anthony Q. Farrell’s slush pile. The Canadian showrunner is always reading projects and helping new writers get their start, and now that he’s got a few weeks of downtime before his summer projects fire up, he’s finally sitting down to read them. “I feel like I’m in a Zen place right now,” he tells Variety. “But I think the summer’s going to be bananas.” Farrell, who got his start writing for Greg Daniels on “The Office,” has helmed shows like “The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker” and “Overlord and the Underwoods.” Slowly but surely, he has become one of Canada’s most prominent showrunners and an industry leader in telling authentic and diverse stories on screen. To do that, he’s spent countless hours fostering BIPOC talent behind the scenes in writers rooms and through initiatives like the BIPOC TV & Film Showrunner Bootcamp, which he ran with Jinder Oujla-Chalmers in 2021.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain says it’s ready to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with its U.S. counterpart if a strike goes ahead. “Many of their issues are our issues,” said WGGB chair Lisa Holdsworth in a statement shared with Variety. “Their fight is our fight. We hope that the WGA reaches a deal but we are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with our sister union and their members in support of every writer’s right to be paid a decent rate for their work, to be treated with respect and to be financially rewarded for the success of their work – including subsequent use and sales.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America has passed a strike authorization vote with 97.85% voting in favor, giving union leadership the power to call a strike once the contract expires on May 1. In an email to members, the guild said that 78.79% of eligible members had cast ballots. “These results set a new record for both participation and the percentage of support in a strike authorization vote,” the guild said. “Our membership has spoken. You have expressed your collective strength, solidarity and the demand for meaningful change in overwhelming numbers. Armed with this demonstration of unity and resolve, we will continue to work at the negotiating table to achieve a fair contract for all writers.”

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Paramount Pictures has renewed its multi-year, first-look film deal with Temple Hill Entertainment. The companies recently collaborated on the creepy thriller “Smile,” which became an unexpected box office hit to the tune of $200 million globally. Under the terms of the agreement, Temple Hill Entertainment will continue to develop films for both Paramount Pictures and its label Paramount Players. On the television side, Temple Hill remains under a first-look deal with Lionsgate.  “Temple Hill has a proven track record for making films that truly connect with people. In the decade that we’ve known them, Wyck Marty, and Isaac have been incredible collaborators and more importantly, we also count them as friends,” said Paramount’s Motion Picture Group co-presidents Michael Ireland and Daria Cercek. “We couldn’t be happier to be extending this relationship so we can continue to find new ways to wow audiences together.”

The WGA is expected to receive overwhelming support for a strike authorization today after writers have been voting for the past week.

Keanu Reeves has been photographed kissing girlfriend Alexandra Grant on the red carpet in an unusual display of affection from the couple. Keanu, 58, and Alexandra, 50, were snapped snogging while out in Los Angeles to celebrate the Museum of Contemporary Art Gala.

“We’re optimistic that we can that we can get through this in a way that’s fair to all parties,” said Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav today of  negotiations between the Writers Guild and the studios and risk of a strike by the scribes.

The WGA has called on its members to save television and feature writing as its strike authorization vote opens.

The Dalai Lama has issued an apology after a viral video showed him asking a young boy to "suck my tongue".

Ryan Martinez, formerly a staff writer on Netflix’s Manifest and a graduate of the Warner Bros Television Writers’ Workshop, is a Harvard grad, a lieutenant in the U.S. naval reserves, and a combat vet who served in the war in Afghanistan. But now he says he’s returning to active duty in the Navy this summer “just to pay the bills,” which is why he’s voting “Yes” to authorize a WGA strike.