Sopranos future in doubt
2003-03-14 12:40
New York - The HBO cable network has suspended filming of its hit Mafia series The Sopranos due to a contract dispute with the show's star James Gandolfini, press reports said on Thursday.
Letters were sent on Wednesday to staff working on the series, informing them of the decision to postpone shooting indefinitely, the New York Daily News and New York Post reported.
An HBO spokesperson said she was not immediately able to either confirm or deny the reports.
Work on the fifth season of the globally syndicated series, which draws in 11 million US viewers every week, had been scheduled to begin on March 24.
Earlier in the week, HBO filed a countersuit against Gandolfini, 41 - who plays mob patriarch Tony Soprano - five days after he sued HBO amid a bitter dispute over his salary.
The actor, who is reportedly demanding more than double his existing $400 000 per episode salary, claimed that he was under no obligation to return to the show for the coming season.
In his suit he alleged that the network failed to inform him within a specified deadline period that they would require his services.
But HBO dismissed the actor's claims, and responded in its countersuit that Gandolfini was obliged to turn up, warning that he would be liable for more than $100 million in damages if he fails to do so.
The decision to suspend filming has cast doubts on the future of the show's 300 cast and crew members, some of whom might be forced to look for work elsewhere in the event of a lengthy delay.