Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner’s indie movie studio is expected to announce an interim agreement with striking writers

United Artists, the independent arm of MGM revived in 2006 and run by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner, is in talks with the striking Writers Guild of America for an interim deal that would cover the studio’s movie projects, as first reported by Deadline Hollywood and confirmed by reports in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. On Monday, an official announcement is expected regarding the interim deal, which sources told the trades will be similar to the one the WGA made with David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants (that pact allowed the writing staffs of Letterman’s The Late Show and The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson to return to work). The deal would not cover UA’s parent MGM.

A WGA source told Variety that several other indies are engaged in some level of negotiations for interim deals. However, negotiations between the WGA and the group that represents the majors, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, have not commenced since talks broke down Dec. 7.

One UA project that may pick up steam again should a deal with the WGA be announced: Oliver Stone’s My Lai Massacre project, Pinkville, which stopped production in mid-November (UA said at the time a script rewrite was needed to proceed). (Source: Entertainment Weekly)