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A war is waging in Hollywood, and according to studio executives, the end is nowhere in sight.
After the July 12 deadline set by SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher passed without resolutions for writers’ demands, negotiators for Hollywood’s actor’s union recommended a strike after a unanimous strike authorization vote.
Picket lines might start as early as Thursday, July 13, after over four weeks of a failed contract negotiation between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and SAG-AFTRA members have just made a detrimental Hollywood strike imminent.
Representing Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Amazon, Apple, and Warner Bros. Discovery, the AMPTP is unwilling to concede to demands set forth by SAG-AFTRA members. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the group claims to have offered “historic pay and residual increases” and “a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses.”
However, SAG-AFTRA refuses to back down, and an unprecedented ally is joining them.
Credit: ABC
Hollywood Actors Join Picket Lines
For the first time in over 60 years, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA are teaming up to demand sturdier contracts amid a changing landscape with streaming services and Artificial Intelligence tools, as well as better pay and improved working conditions.
In a post by EvoCentral, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes just gained a significant ally:
BREAKING: Tonight, a cloud is looming over actors, writers, and artists due to unfair pay. Both the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are on strike today for the first time in over 60 years. #SAGAFTRA #SAGstrike
BREAKING: Tonight, a cloud is looming over actors, writers, and artists due to unfair pay. Both the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are on strike today for the first time in over 60 years.#SAGAFTRA #SAGstrike
According to SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, studio… pic.twitter.com/EB1iTR0jEE
— EvoCentral (@evocentralnews) July 13, 2023
The report states high-powered stars like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Ben Stiller are “prepared to strike” and “another huge chunk of the entertainment industry will go dark.” Striking actors, like Mission Impossible’s Tom Cruise, will have to cease promotions for their films. Participating actors in the SAG-AFTRA strike will be barred from the following:
- Filming any movie & TV productions
- Attending press junkets or film premieres
- Promoting anything at SDCC, and will be advised not to attend
Studios Prepared to Let Writers Go Broke
Recent reports by The Hollywood Reporter show that Studio executives are unwilling to budge amid the burgeoning strikes. Members of the AMPTP stated, “Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.”
Even more alarming was a tweet shared by DiscussingFilm citing a stern warning from a studio executive:
The studios and streamers reportedly have no intentions of negotiating with the Writer’s Guild for several more months. “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive tells Deadline.
The studios and streamers reportedly have no intentions of negotiating with the Writer's Guild for several more months.
“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive tells Deadline. pic.twitter.com/vKXR8lwzYu
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 12, 2023
Disney’s Haunted Mansion film is the first scheduled major movie premiere after these heated maneuvers in Hollywood. The premiere on July 15 at the Disneyland Resort’s Hyperion Theater will become a party for the fans if the strike officially ignites. Per the SAG-AFTRA boundaries, the Haunted Mansion cast cannot attend.
The union will hold a press conference today, Thursday, July 13, at noon PT at SAG-AFTRA Plaza in Los Angeles, and Disney Fanatic will report on the conclusion of the meeting.
