SMALLVILLE's creators on the Writers' Strike
Exec prods Gough & Millar reached out to Smallville fans from the picket line.
On Monday, November 5, the writing staff of Smallville went on strike. Although they were only following the lead of the entire Writer's Guild of America, Smallville's executive producers, Al Gough and Miles Millar, felt duty-bound to touch base with their fans about the situation.
In a 6th November posting to KryptonSite, Gough explained that the staff had turned in 15 scripts for Season 7, which will take the show to February. If the WGA doesn't get "a fair deal from the studios and networks," especially regarding residuals on the internet and new media--there currently is no formula in place for paying writers when their work replays online--Smallville's season will end in February '08 on a cliffhanger.
"Please understand that no writer wanted a strike," wrote Gough, "but the issues we are fighting for will determine not only our future in the digital age, but the future of generations of writers to come."
That future could be quite bleak, he added, explaining that screenwriting is a "feast or famine business," and that the mostly-middle-class guild members need their broadcast residuals to get by.
"It is our wish that this strike will be resolved quickly," Gough said, "so that we can get back to doing what we love--writing."