Who has more leverage casting?

This is probably on a show by show basis and not very knows, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. Is it usually a unanimous decision by the creative team or would one person have more creative control? Also, how much input do producers have?

Your were right in your statement: there is no blanket answer.

To the OP, as d-mama says, you were right that it depends.

Find a copy of William Goldman's THE SEASON (published circa 1969) and read the chapter entitled "Muscle".

In Goldman's parlance, the "Muscle" is the person with the most power in the production and it can be the producer, director, composer, star, etc. To quote Goldman, "David Merrick (big producer at the time) is ALWAYS the Muscle--unless the director is Gower Champion (star director who knew how to handle Merrick)." You may not recognize all the names in Goldman's book, but the basic principles remain the same (perhaps except for ticketing, which has been changed by technology).

HogansHero said: "There.are.no.rules.

E.g., a playwright may most certainly dictate casting. It goes right in the option agreement. Can a lot of writers sell that condition? No. But if Miranda wants his mama in his next show, it's a done deal.



"

Exactly. Miranda's success has (rightfully) made him the "Muscle" of his future shows--until he has enough flops that the money people begin to see him as a liability. (Or until he becomes a hopeless drug addict, a serial killer or an overt racist.)

But if Joe Schmoe is the playwright, those casting approval clauses are going to contain the words "such right of approval shall not be unreasonably withheld", which basically means Joe can go whistle in the alley 'cause he ain't getting final word on casting, no matter what the Dramatist Guild says.

It's basically the same in film, TV and any other profession. An individual's power is whatever his or her track record, connections and strength of personality command.

Updated On: 3/3/17 at 09:26 AM