In early March, Martin Scorses was set to produce a feature of the deadly 1982 avalanche that subsumed the Alpine Meadows ski resort near Lake Tahoe.
The project sounded like the latest fascinating dive into American history from the auteur behind Killers of the Flower Moon and The Irishman. One problem? Hollywood’s powerful writers’ union is barring members from working on the project.
“The Guild’s working rules prohibit members from working for or selling literary material to companies or individuals who are on the Strike/Unfair List, or who are not signed to the current MBA,” the union reminded members.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Convergence Entertainment Group’s co-president and Scorsese’s representatives for comment.
Emmett was first ixnated by the union in 2020 due to claims from the WGA West that his and fellow producer George Furla’s companies, Emmett Furla Oasis Films and Pumped, LLC, owed hundreds of thousands in compensation, pension & health contributions and interest to four writers on the television project Pump.
In 2024, the union banned members from working with Fifty Feet Movie, LLC and producer Steve Smalls due to an alleged failure to post a surety bond; Convergence – where Emmett was, according to the union, a managing member – was the project’s corporate guarantor. Fifty Feet Movie, LLC worked on the films Cash Out, Alarum and Epiphany, which according to the union Emmett produced under the pseudonym “Ives.”
Scorsese is attached to Wall of White as producer alongside Emmett.
The film, which is set to be based on the 2021 documentary Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche, is actively seeking a director.
