SAG gives games a lift

The video-game industry and the Screen Actors Guild appear close to resolving their spat over wage increases, and I think I speak for everyone when I say, "Thank freaking providence that Stephen Dorff can work again."

This is a big deal, because for a while there it looked like the SAG might drop the S-bomb (strike, not Stephen) and foul up such forthcoming titles as The Godfather (featuring the vocal stylings of James Caan and a posthumous Marlon Brando) and Stargate SG-1 (featuring the slightly less famous stars of the original TV series). Oh, and also pretty much every other video game in development, since a generous portion of voice actors belong to the guild, even if their fame currently registers at sub-Stargate levels.

So yeah, good news all around. I couldn't imagine there being much interest in a replacement-player Godfather title, voiced by a rickety cast of scabs and celebrity impersonators. Though you have to wonder whether using Brando in the first place required some sort of workaround--I picture his body, wearing sunglasses, propped up at the mic by those two guys from Weekend at Bernie's.