 |
 |
[03/13/03 - 12:00 AM] Production Halted on 'Sopranos' By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC) |
|
CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- Production on the fifth season of HBO's "The Sopranos" has been halted indefinitely due to a breakdown in salary negotiations with series star James Gandolfini. Shooting was scheduled to being March 24.
The conflict stems from competiting lawsuits filed by Gandolfini and HBO against each other last week over the actor's status with the show. Gandolfini's lawsuit alleges HBO did not notify him within the agreed upon 10 days after the show's fifth season was ordered on July 17, 2001. According to Gandolfini's representatives, such a move would make his contract for a fifth season void and not require him to show up for shooting on March 24. Calling the lawsuit "frivolous," HBO has counter-sued Gandolfini for $100 million in damages that would be caused due to his absence from the series.
Gandolfini's lawsuit is viewed by many as simply a negotiating ploy to increase his salary for the fifth season. Currently the actor is making a surprisingly average $400,000 per episode considering "The Sopranos" critical and financial success, below such actors as Ray Romano, the "Friends" cast and Kelsey Grammer but on par with "The West Wing's" Martin Sheen.
HBO has reportedly offered Gandolfini $11 million to return for the 13-episode fifth season, part of which was to be paid in profit participation. But the actor is said to have been asking for $27 million for season five, and $16.7 million for a sixth season should that get ordered, for an average of $21 million per season for a fifth and sixth batch.
Recently fellow "Sopranos" stars Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Drea de Matteo, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler renegotiated their contracts with HBO to more than triple their salaries. Imperioli is set to make $80,000 per episode for season five while the remaining trio will be paid in the neighborhood of $60,000 an episode for the upcoming season. Previously all four made between $15,000-$25,000 an episode.
With production halted it is extremely unlikely the fifth season of the series will be ready before January 2004.
|
|
|
 [march 2003]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[04/04/25 - 10:48 AM] Video: Watch A First Look - ID's "All Access PD: Grand Rapids" Premieres Tuesday, April 8 at 10/9c on ID The new series offers unprecedented access to the inner workings of the Grand Rapids Police Department.
|
[04/04/25 - 10:32 AM] New Season of "Gold Rush: White Water" Premieres Friday, April 25 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel Last year, Dustin Hurt's crew struck a 6-ounce, $70K nugget - the biggest in Gold Rush history. This season, he's risking everything for more.
|
[04/04/25 - 09:01 AM] Hit the Gas! Prime Video Releases Premiere Date and First-Look Images for Electrifying New YA Drama "Motorheads" All 10 episodes will debut exclusively on Prime Video on Tuesday, May 20 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
|
[04/04/25 - 08:31 AM] Peacock Exclusively Streams Blumhouse's "Wolf Man" Beginning April 18 Directed by acclaimed horror filmmaker Leigh Whannell, the film stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger, Matilda Firth, Benedict Hardie and more.
|
[04/04/25 - 08:01 AM] HBO Original Film "Mountainhead," Written and Directed by Jesse Armstrong, Debuts May 31 The film finishes production this week in Park City, Utah and marks Armstrong's feature directorial debut.
|
[04/04/25 - 07:45 AM] Prime Video Greenlights "Taurasi" The three-part docuseries chronicles the extraordinary story of basketball legend Diana Taurasi, whose relentless pursuit of greatness has transcended the boundaries of sport.
|
[04/04/25 - 07:02 AM] Video: "Earnhardt" - Larger Than Life Teaser - Prime Video The new original series is coming to Prime Video on Memorial Day Weekend.
|
[04/04/25 - 07:01 AM] Paramount+'s New Series "MobLand" Breaks Record as Biggest Global Series Premiere Ever with 2.2 Million Global Viewers on Premiere Day "'MobLand' is a runaway success thanks to the visionary work of Guy, Jez, Ronan and David Glasser and brought to life by the exceptional Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren who transport us into a world audiences clearly cannot get enough of," said Chris McCarthy.
|
[04/04/25 - 02:26 AM] "Rotten Legacy", Starring Jose Coronado, Premieres on Netflix May 16 In "Rotten Legacy," Federico (Jose Coronado) is forced to step away from his communication companies to recover from an illness that kept him sidelined for two years.
|
[04/03/25 - 02:00 PM] Video: Trailer and Key Art for "Not Just A Goof" Available Now Just in time for the 30th anniversary of "A Goofy Movie," this documentary follows a young creative team tackling their first Disney feature, facing disappointment upon release, only for the film to gain a passionate following decades later.
|
[04/03/25 - 12:06 PM] Twelve Rebellious Chefs Are Set for Battle on NBC's Bold New Cooking Competition Series "Yes, Chef!" Hosted by Emmy-Award Winning Chefs Jose Andres and Martha Stewart The series will premiere on Monday, April 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC following "The Voice."
|
[04/03/25 - 12:01 PM] ABC Renews "9-1-1," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Rookie," "Shifting Gears" and "Will Trent" for 2025-26 Season The network confirmed the pickups on social media this afternoon.
|
[04/03/25 - 12:00 PM] CBS to Present MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for the First Time, Airing Live Sunday, Sept. 7 from UBS Arena, and Streaming on Paramount+ The 2024 VMAs delivered its biggest multi-network audience in four years and ranked as the most social VMAs in show history, with 66.7 million social interactions.
|
[04/03/25 - 11:53 AM] Awesomeness Aquires the Rights to "Racing Hearts," Highly Anticipated Debut Novel from Ann Adams Set in the cinematic world of competitive rowing, "Racing Hearts" is a coming-of-age romance that follows Olympic hopeful Katherine Parker, who is sent home to Berkeley after another failed race to work with a new coach, Adrian.
|
[04/03/25 - 11:00 AM] CBS Gives First Look at "The Equalizer" Spin-Off Featuring Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz In the episode, airing April 20, McCall is contacted by Samantha Reed, whose father, ex-CIA agent Elijah Reed, is missing.
|
|
|
|