me141@sdcc11.UUCP (me141) (10/04/84)
Quo usque tandem abutere patientia nostra?
The following is taken from THE SHATNER FILE, the
newsletter of the William Shatner Fan Fellowship:
Bill is quoted:
As far as I know, plans for Star Trek IV have stopped.
They asked me to do it and I wanted more money. We have
been vastly underpaid because the series was done at a time
when actors weren't paid a great deal of money--when a
series went into reruns, actors were paid for the first
five shown. Subsequently, the actors were never adequately
compensated. It's been changed since then. When the first film
came along, everybody was so excited by the fact that a
Star Trek film was going to be made that Paramount got all of
us very cheaply and we signed for options for future films.
So we were tied up, especially myself (for three films).
I had contributed a great deal to the story, the direction,
and to getting the cast involved. Now that Star Trek IV
is going to be made I feel I should be compensated more
adequately--in what in my opinion is commensurate with
what I have contributed. Paramount saw it differently.
I don't know whether it's a negotiation ploy, but I
suspect it is. They say we're not going to make it. I
have,in this negotiating game, a great deal of strength.
They either will make the movie with me or they're not
going to make it. So that's my strength. Since they've
been making a great deal of money on it, I feel they're
going to make Star Trek IV. Their only strength is to
say they're not going to make it, and presumably there
will be negotiations. They expect me to become fear-
ful of the fact that I would have stopped the film and I
will not allow myself to become fearful. So as far as
I'm concerned, the film is off and that's the way I'm
approaching it.
In my heart of hearts, I really know it's not off and if
this new management has any brains--which I think they
have--they will resume negotiations by saying, "Oh, all
right. What do you want?"
Alice Greene [..sdcc11!me141]