Warner Bros.’ David Zaslav is facing huge losses because of the two studio strikes.
So instead of settling the strikes and moving forward, Warner Bros. has decided to punish its famous writers.
The studio has suspended overall deals with JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot, which is stunning on its own. Also in the mix is Chuck Lorre, who’s been a money machine for them. The other A-listers are Mindy Kaling, Greg Berlanti, John Wells, and Bill Lawrence.
Overall deals mean the studio has a first look deal with these producers. They also house their companies either on or off campus (Bad Robot is in Santa Monica).
This is definitely a message to the WGA that Warner Bros. is not giving in or compromising in the WGA strike. Kicking out all these superstars is not offering an olive branch. It’s just going to set off more discord.
Hollywood is at a stand still because of the studios’ intransigence. Zaslav, on the other hand, is facing a $300-$500 million loss this quarter — far more than the entire cost of the WGA proposal to the studios to wrap this thing up. For WBD the losses are 10 times the cost of their share!
And it’s not just a matter of money. Warner Bros. Discovery will desperately need content soon, but now they’ve insulted the creators– that is unless Zaslav just sells the whole thing and destroys a 100 year old company!
