MUMBAI: The Weinstein Company (TWC) has signed a deal with the Writers Guild of America (WGA). TWC is the latest to have reached such a deal with WGA.

The company, which has made films like The Great Debaters, The Mist, can now re-start work on Nine, an adaptation of the Federico Fellini classic 8 1/2.

So far, none of the major studios have broken rank with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The interim agreement between the WGA and TWC also covers Dimension Films. Earlier, a deal was struck between the WGA and United Artists. Media reports indicate that Lionsgate, which made the Oscar winner Crash, may be the next company to do a deal.

Meanwhile, two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks has called for an end to the dispute. He says that he wants the Oscars to continue as per schedule. He also says that media conglomerates should remember that many people, from carpenters to caterers, were suffering as a result of the strike.

Hanks has been quoted in reports as saying, "There are caterers and carpenters and electricians and gaffers. There are a lot of people out there associated with the industry, for whom the sooner this work stoppage is over the better."

Interestingly, WGA has said that it will simply announce the winners of its own awards show. It will not hold a ceremony until the strike is over.