DreamWorks in Talks to Move to NBC Universal

LOS ANGELES, November 19:
Unhappy with their arrangement at Paramount, DreamWorks’ Steven
Spielberg and David Geffen have been talking to executives at NBC
Universal (NBCU).

While these talks are in
the very early stages, they could lead to DreamWorks moving to NBCU, especially
considering that Spielberg still maintains his offices on the Universal lot and
that DreamWorks’ CEO Stacey Snider headed Universal's film unit before joining
DreamWorks in 2006.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that talks had come to a halt
because, as part of a deal with NBCU, David Geffen would want NBCU to provide
annual financing for the live-action film unit, while NBCU reportedly wants
Geffen to bring in outside financing. But, according to The Hollywood
Reporter, sources say this has not
caused talks to break down.

In fact, Geffen is
scheduled to have dinner with Jeffrey Immelt, the chairman and CEO of General
Electric, NBCU's parent company. This is their first meeting since DreamWorks
opted for Paramount over NBCU in 2005. Paramount’s parent company Viacom, bought
DreamWorks for $1.6 billion. Spielberg and Snider are under contract at
Paramount through 2008.

—By Anna Carugati