Los Angeles ? The Screen Actors Guild has cut a deal that would let its members work for an independent film company regardless of a future strike against the major studios.

The deal with The Film Department guarantees completion of nine movies that haven’t started filming yet. One of them, a romantic comedy called “The Rebound,” stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and is scheduled to begin production Monday in New York City.

“Hopefully, they’ll work things out and there won’t be a strike, but if there is we’ll be able to stay in business,” Mark Gill, The Film Department’s chief executive officer, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The union, which began contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Artists on Tuesday, declined to discuss the deal.

“We’re in negotiations. We’re focused on that. We have no further comment,” said SAG spokeswoman Pamela Greenwalt.

The trade paper Daily Variety said SAG was only offering such deals to independent feature producers.

Earlier this year, the Writers Guild of America signed several similar deals with independent producers during its three-month strike against the major studios.

Contract negotiations between SAG and the producers group are scheduled to run through April 26. The producers then start talks with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on April 28.