LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - There's no need for any premature whacking of characters when "The Sopranos" returns next year for its final eight episodes.
After lengthy and acrimonious negotiations, Tony Sirico and Steven Van Zandt -- the last key actors without new deals -- reached an agreement with HBO on Friday to continue on the Emmy-winning series. Under the new pact, Sirico and Van Zandt will be paid about double their most recent per-episode fee of $85,000, sources said. In a widely publicized salary dispute, Sirico and Van Zandt, who play Paulie Walnuts and Silvio Dante, respectively, for months refused to budge from their $200,000 per-episode asking price. That was more than any other cast member -- except for stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco -- had made on the show and miles from HBO's initial offer of a 10 percent raise. It was less than a week before "The Sopranos" was slated to go back into production when, after numerous rounds of negotiations, Sirico and Van Zandt received an offer they couldn't refuse. After a series of down-to-the-wire deals for all "Sopranos" supporting actors, the entire cast of David Chase's groundbreaking series is expected to convene for a table read Thursday (July 6), when production on the final episodes of the show is slated to begin. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
