The standoff between the Writers Guild of America and Association of Talent Agencies is about to come to a head. At midnight, the current agreement will expire, and the WGA has put in place means for all guild writers to fire their agents as early as Sunday morning. Sources close to Deadline say that no “formal talks” are scheduled to prevent this mass firing, but that informal talks are still on the table. Spokespeople for both sides of the dispute have essentially said that they are not prepared to come to the table as things currently stand. WGA West executive director David Young said that they will only negotiate with the ATA “when they make a meaningful reply to our last two offers.” And ATA director Karen Stuart told Young to “Let us know when you and your committee are prepared to have a negotiation that addresses all of the outstanding issues.”

The beef between the WGA and ATA concerns packaging fees, the money agents get for selling creatives bundled together. If neither side flinches by midnight, writers will be able to give permission to the WGA to sever ties with their agents. No one-on-one meetings need to happen, although writers certainly have that option. The Guild will also implement their Staffing Submission System that will endeavor to match Guild writers with staffing showrunners.