A day after faltering negotiations were made public, "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner has broken his silence on the issues stopping his new contract with AMC from getting done.
Talking to "Mad Men" fan site Basket of Kisses, Weiner said that he was unwilling to surrender on a number of creative and budget issues, even if it meant a larger contract.
At issue are budget cuts that would cost the series two cast members per year, a shorter running time for more advertisements and more prominent product integration.
"First of all, the number 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."
Weiner is reported to have been offered $30 million; yesterday, a source close to the negotiation gave The Huffington Post a similar account of the financial offers.
"What they've said to him is, these are our big three things, and in exchange for swallowing it, we'll pay you a lot of money," the source relayed. "What he said is, that's great, but you can't buy my artistic silence, I'm not going to let you ruin my product just because you want to pay me. He's putting his art before his wallet."
Another source with knowledge of the situation told The Huffington Post on Tuesday that the issues reported were hard and fast demands from AMC.
Both AMC and Weiner have publicly expressed hope that they can get a deal done, something Weiner reiterated in the interview with the website.
"There's been a lot of speculation and misinformation in the press about what is going on," he said. "I want the fans to know directly from me that I had nothing to do with this delay and it is not about money. I am fighting for the cast and for the show. And I appreciate the kindness and concern of the fans."
For more from the interview, click over to Basket of Kisses.