James Gandolfini puts muscle on Sopranos pals

LOS ANGELES - James Gandolfini, star of mob drama The Sopranos, is muscling into a salary dispute between two of his castmates and HBO cable network before production begins on the show's last batch of episodes.

Gandolfini, whose own bitter contract squabble with HBO three years ago escalated into a court battle before it was settled, is hosting a sit-down this weekend with co-stars Steven Van Zandt and Tony Sirico, according to sources.

With less than two weeks until the scheduled production start of the show's last eight episodes, Gandolfini is said to be looking to intervene in the network's standoff with Van Zandt and Sirico over their demands for higher pay.

Only a handful of Sopranos actors - including Emmy winners Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli and Vincent Curatola - have closed deals to appear in the final installments of the HBO gangster drama.

Following the network's decision in the summer to extend the sixth season of Sopranos from 13 to 20 episodes - 12 to air this year and eight in 2007 - the cast of the Emmy-winning series began negotiations for substantial salary increases for the final batch of episodes.

With the first table read scheduled for July 5, several key cast members, including Lorraine Bracco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Steven Schirripa and John Ventimiglia, have not signed on the dotted line to continue.

But it has been Sirico and Van Zandt, who play iconic characters Paulie Walnuts and Silvio Dante, respectively, who have had the toughest and most publicized renegotiations.

With each of the two actors and HBO still more than US$500,000 apart on the money, and Sirico and Van Zandt not budging on their US$200,000-an-episode asking price - more than double their most recent fee - a conclusion of the groundbreaking series without Paulie and Silvio looms as a real possibility.

Talks between the actors and HBO are still ongoing.

"HBO has made generous offers to the cast, and, as always, we're confident that we will resolve all of these matters amicably," an HBO spokesperson said.

Bob McGowan of McGowan Management, who manages Sirico and Van Zandt, declined comment.

- REUTERS/Hollywood Reporter