'Mad Men's' Matthew Weiner Fires Back

'Mad Men' drama offscreen, unfortunately not onscreen.  Negotiations are often times fraught with complications, even the most clear-cut negotations have their own drama. A previous post indicated that Matthew Weiner, creator of 'Mad Men' and AMC, the network that broadcasts the show and Lionsgate which produces the show were close to a deal, reportedly where Matthew Weiner was set to get $30 million for the next two years. However, that may have been premature as the latest news is that negotiations have once again hit a roadblock. Namely three roadblocks - AMC/Lionsgate are asking the following, via Nikki Finke:

1. Integrating product placement into the program
2. Cutting 2 minutes from each episode to allow more advertising
3. Eliminating/reducing two regular cast members

Matthew Weiner has now spoken out about the state of these negotiations via Huffington Post. “First of all, the number ($30 million) that’s been published is not true," Weiner said. "Second of all, I offered to have less money, to save the cast, and to leave the show in the running time that it’s supposed to be. The harder that I’ve fought for the show, the more money that they’ve offered me.”

As a huge fan of this show, I can only hope that both sides can cross the great divide and resolve their differences as soon as possible. It was confirmed that season 5 of 'Mad Men' will be delayed until 2012.