Roseanne spin-off all but set as star 'waives rights' to characters
A Roseanne spin-off is all but confirmed after its embattled star has agreed to "walk away" from the characters she helped create, the Hollywood Reporter reports.
The hit sitcom was spectacularly axed by US network ABC last month after a racist Twitter rant from star Roseanne Barr aimed at former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
A potential spin-off series, focusing on the character of Darlene (played by Sara Gilbert), was quickly raised as an option for the show to spare the jobs of its remaining cast and crew.
But ABC and producer Carsey-Werner were adamant that a spin-off would only be pursued when Barr waived her rights, creatively and financially, over its characters.
Quoting inside sources, the Hollywood Reporter says the star has agreed "in principle" to walk away from the spin-off.
"Now the negotiation is over what, if any, one-time payment she should receive as 'go-away money'," a source told the Hollywood publication.
The spin-off makes financial sense for ABC, which had already greenlit a 13-episode second season before Barr's offending tweets. Under SAG union rules, the deal meant ABC would still have to pay salaries to the show's top cast members – over $US7 million – even if nothing went to air, the Hollywood Reporter previously noted.
Of course, as a source quoted by the paper noted, the deal still hinges on Barr's sign-off, and insiders are wary of her "volatile disposition".
After previously apologising for the tweets, Barr last week tried a different tack, saying her comments were misunderstood.
"Rod Sterling wrote Planet of the Apes. It was about anti-semitism. That is what my tweet referred to – the anti-semitism of the Iran deal. Low IQ people can think whatever they want," she tweeted.
She added that she "will begin to speak for myself in media soon".