Big Bang Theory was supposed to have entered production for Season 8, but as The Inquisitr had reported , the 5 lead stars were amidst an extended contract renewal process. Now it is clear why the contract negotiations have seemingly stalled. Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar are all demanding a whopping million dollars each, and that is per episode.
According to a report by Deadline Hollywood , the stars are currently locked in tense contract negotiations with Warner Bros. TV. Stars including Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar are looking for a huge payday similar to the cast of Friends .
The pay-hike being demanded is quite extensive. Under their previous contract, Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco earned around $350,000 per episode in Season 7, with each additionally owning 0.25 point of the series’ lucrative back-end.
But no one can deny the enormous success of the sitcom worldwide. Industry insiders estimate the show could generate revenue in excess of $3 billion for Warner Bros. TV, and the stars now want in on part of the earnings. Hence they feel they are quite justified in demanding a pay-packet quite similar to the lead stars of hugely popular sitcom, Friends, which ran for 10 Seasons. At the end of the series’ seasons, each lead character reportedly earned more than a million dollars per episode.
Will Warner Bros TV agree to such significant pay-hike? Compared to the earlier contract, the pay-hike being demanded is almost 3 times more, and normally, production houses do not agree. But the show’s popularity is undeniable. The show’s writers have skillfully enhanced the relevance of each character within the story, and it would be a huge burden and a risk to replace any of the lead characters with someone new. Moreover, the old contract is now expired , and the stars have the ability to demand a hike.
Warner Bros. Television wants to get the production of Big Bang Theory started, and the time is running out . If the negotiations stall any further, the production of Big Bang Theory could get significantly delayed, and needless to say, such setbacks prove disastrous for the popularity of any show, when networks either re-run old episodes or offer the slot to someone else. In either of the cases , Big Bang Theory runs the risk of losing audience and facing a decline in viewership or the prime-time slot, apart from something equally important .
While the negotiations need to close soon, either of the side will have such fears. The question is, who will chicken out?
[Image Credit |Supplied]
