20th pushes pay cut for 'Simpsons' cast

'The Simpsons'20th Century Fox Television laid down a hard line Tuesday in negotiations with voice actors on long-running Fox hit "The Simpsons," intimating the series won't continue if they don't accept a huge pay cut."We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model," read a studio statement. "We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows 'The Simpsons' to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come."The Daily Beast first reported Monday that the six actors who provide voices for the show are balking at taking a 45% salary reduction that 20th is insisting on if "Simpsons" is to continue beyond its current 23rd season. Last week, the actors offered a counterproposal in which they would take a 30% cut in exchange of an unspecified portion of the series' massive back-end profits, which have long been a multibillion-dollar business News Corp given rich revenue streams pouring in from syndication to merchandise.The voice actors don't currently participate in "Simpsons'" back end. The cast includes Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

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