Negotiations Between Turner Pictures and Dawn Steel Are Reportedly Off

Independent film producer Dawn Steel won’t be heading Ted Turner’s film unit, as had been expected.

Sources said Wednesday that talks between Steel and Turner Pictures have ended after weeks of negotiations.

Details were sketchy, but there had been speculation that Steel wanted more autonomy than Turner was willing to give her.

Steel is expected to concentrate on producing. She scored a big hit last year with “Cool Runnings,” a comedy about a Jamaican bobsledding team competing in the Olympic Games. She also was a producer of Disney’s ‘Sister Act 2.”

Steel is also expected to devote time to keeping film production in the Los Angeles area. Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has asked her to organize a task force to examine the problem.

Hollywood executives have speculated that Steel might rejoin Paramount Pictures if QVC Network Inc. Chairman Barry Diller wins the battle for control of Paramount Communications Inc., but Steel told The Times last month that Diller had not approached her about running Paramount.