The Writers Guild of America (WGA) was close to signing a deal with Tom Cruise's United Artists (UA) as efforts were intensified to end the WGA strike, it was reported Sunday.

The UA, the independent production unit of MGM controlled by the actor and partner Paula Wagner, was expected to become the first movie company to reach a tentative working agreement with the WGA, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Meanwhile, the WGA was in talks with other independent studios, such as Lionsgate and the Weinstein Co., said the paper.

The UA agreement should benefit its distributor and majority shareholder, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., by supplying the studio with films once they were produced. Still, the UA is a relatively small player, and the pending deal is not expected to thaw out relations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

For about two months, the writers have been at loggerheads with producers over their cut of revenues from Internet and other digital format sales. The AMPTP broke off talks in December.

Despite the pending UA deal, MGM, a member of the producer's union, does not plan to break ranks with the other major studios and sign a side deal with the writer's union, The Times quoted sources as saying.

Harry Sloan, MGM's chief executive, has tried to dissuade Wagner and Cruise from making an interim deal with the guild, but Sloan ultimately must defer to Wagner who, as UA's chief executive, has final word on how the company is run, The Times reported.

Together, Wagner and Cruise own a 35 percent stake in UA.

The writers strike has not only left next Sunday's awards ceremony without writers to prepare the banter between presenters, but facing a boycott by actors both nominated for awards and scheduled to be presenters.

Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg said Friday that members of his union appear to be in "unanimous agreement" that they would not cross the writers' picket line to attend the awards show.

Negotiations to end the strike broke off Dec. 7 over the WGA's demand to extend union jurisdiction over so-called unscripted series and animated programs and to permit work stoppages when other unions go on strike.
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2008)