Independents Get In Line

David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants started it, Tom Cruise followed up and now more independent film and production companies are getting in line to make their own deals with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), ignoring the powerful studio/network bargining arm of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

The next in line is The Weinstein Co., which is one of the largest independent moviemakers in the industry. It has high expectations in its current negotiations with the writers of the Guild.

The terms of the Weinstein/WGA deal have not been made public, however, most are expecting the same kind of arrangement made with Letterman and then Cruise/Wagner’s United Artists.

If the deal gets signed, the Weinstein Company could return to production on shelved and delayed projects within a month.