Actors 'to resume contract talks'

Actors like Ben Stiller backed striking writers last year

Contract talks between the US actors' union and the Hollywood studios will resume by 28 May, according to reports.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will then have four weeks to reach a deal before the existing contract covering 120,000 TV and film actors expires on 30 June.

Talks between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) began on 15 April.

But the AMPTP cut off negotiations on 6 May, claiming actors' representatives had made unreasonable demands.

According to news agency Reuters, stumbling blocks include union proposals for greater residual payments from sales of DVDs and online streaming.

Standstill

Both sides are reportedly keen to avoid industrial action after the 100-day writers' strike which brought Hollywood to a standstill earlier this year.

However, film studios have mostly postponed the start of new productions that will not finish shooting by 30 June.

The AMPTP is conducting separate talks with the guild's smaller sister union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA).

It is hoped any deal reached between the two parties will provide a model for a new SAG contract.