Talks between WGA leaders and top studio execs on Friday and Saturday have been productive enough to generate cautious optimism that a settlement to the three-month-old strike may soon be at hand.

WGA negotiating committee head John Bowman and WGA West exec director David Young had a lengthy meeting Friday with News Corp. pres Peter Chernin and Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger that was described as having gone well overall, despite some tension at the outset. It’s understood that those conversations continued on Saturday, though it was not clear if it was by phone or face-to-face.

Insiders said there was enough progress being made to raise the prospect of WGA leaders bringing a contract proposal directly to the boards of the WGA West and WGA East, possibly bypassing the resumption of formal bargaining between the WGA and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Insiders indicated that lawyers for both sides were exchanging drafts of proposed contract language this weekend.

WGA’s 17-member negotiating committee and the WGA West’s board are already skidded to hold separate meetings on Monday, at noon and 3 p.m., respectively. People close to the situation cautioned against putting a timetable on the process, given the rocky road of the negotiations to date.

Full article and Source: Variety.com