The Sopranos is a Go

The drama started when James Greedy-fini, The Sopranos patriarch and lifeline, demanded more money for the fifth and most likely final season of the hit show. With last season’s $5 million paycheck (approximately) Gandolfini had high hopes for a fatter payout this year, nearing the $21 million ballpark for the upcoming season. HBO balked and offered an apparent paltry sum of only $11 million. Gandolfini refused and screamed "breach of contract", saying the network failed to notify him of when production on the fifth season was to begin, thus missing a contractual deadline.

Well, HBO thinks not. They in turn filed a $100 million counter-suit accusing Gandolfini of blackmail. With the two suits standing, HBO halted production on the upcoming season, sending letters to the remaining cast telling them not to show up on March 24 when filming was slated to begin. With the two parties deadlocked it seems no one could come out a winner if things didn’t change. HBO stands to lose millions. Gandolfini stands to lose a significant paycheck for a fifth season. And, of least importance to all involved parties, the fans would be left hanging.

Not to worry, it seems that producer Brad Grey has convinced both sides to withdraw their lawsuits and resume the negotiation process. Gandolfini, for his part, has dropped his asking price from $21 million to a mere $16 million. Now, the two sides are talking and if they are unable to come up with a resolution by the time production is set to begin, there should be no major concerns. Cable networks are not held to a timetable in the same manner as broadcast TV. An HBO spokesperson said, "Unlike network we don’t have to have the show delivered for a September airing. There’s a lot of flexibility. In terms of production, we’d still be able to get it on air in a reasonable amount of time." Let’s hope they come to a resolution before Tony Soprano sleeps with the fishes!