Hollywood actors have joined writers in a strike that will bring countless TV and movie productions to a grinding halt. Actors will start appearing on picket lines Friday morning.
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Screen Actors Guild president Fran Drescher explained that a strike was the inevitable result of actors feeling ‘disrespected’ by studios.
Actors have agreed to strike about 10 weeks after members of the Writers Guild of America walked out in an effort to secure higher wages and specific terms related to AI-powered writing tools such as ChatGPT.
Their fear is such technology could be called in to supplement or substitute for human writers.
Hollywood actors who are members of the Screen Actors Guild have gone on strike seeking better compensation at a time when incomes are threatened by everything from streaming service deals to nascent artificial intelligence.
How will the Screen Actors Guild strike affect my favorite shows and movies?
The ongoing Writers Guild strike has meant that many TV shows and movies have had to cancel production, although some production continued without writers on set.
But an actors’ strike means very little can continue. Animation (minus voice actors), reality TV and some projects shooting outside the U.S. with actors who aren’t in SAG will be able to carry on.
Love your red carpet awards shows should be kissed goodbye.
Strike rules forbid actors from promoting their projects, a constraint writers have faced since May.
That means no premieres, no talk show appearances and no glossy magazine cover stories that aren’t already banked.
The strike will also depress the fun at fan favorite events such as San Diego Comic-Con, usually chock-full of popular actors, writers and directors pitching their movies and TV shows to thousands of coplaying admirers.
The Emmy Awards, planned for Sept. 18 on Fox, would likely be delayed until both strikes are resolved. If the strikes drag on into 2024 (unlikely but possible), other major awards shows like the Oscars would be put on hold.
What do actors want?
While we’re all familiar with the mega-millions pay days for A-list stars such as Tom Cruise, most actors do not make that kind of money.
SAG members say they are striking for an increased base compensation, regulated use of artificial intelligence, better benefit plans and money for self-taped auditions – the cost of which used to be the responsibility of casting and production.
Actors also want to be compensated for streaming TV shows and movies based on the performance of those titles.
The problem there is that streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Max do not share metrics with the public, or even the creators of their films and TV shows.
SAG is pushing for analytics from a third party to help determine payment.
How long will the Hollywood strike last?
That always is an unknown. There have been strikes throughout Hollywood‘s century-long history.
The most recent was the writer’s strike of 2007, which lasted 14 weeks. In 1988, the WGA struck for 22 weeks, the longest action in its history.
Past actors’ guild strikes included a six-week walkout in 1960, which was led by its then-president, and future U.S. president, Ronald Reagan.
A 1980 strike lasted three months, while a 1986 strike, the most recent until now, lasted 14 hours.
There was one directors’ guild strike in 1987, and it lasted just three hours.
In early June, the Directors Guild of America reached an agreement with studios for new film and TV contracts, avoiding the prospect of an unprecedented three-guild strike.
Which movies face being shut down?
A number of major film and TV projects that are currently being filmed or are being produced in the UK may be affected by the strike.
The new film Wicked starring US singer Ariana Grande, actress Cynthia Erivo, Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, which is being shot in a village in Buckinghamshire has already been affected.
The set appeared like a ghost town on Friday after it was abandoned last night following the announcement of the industrial action. The film currently has a release date for November 27 next year.
Among them is superhero blockbuster Deadpool 3, starring Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman – which may have its scheduled release date of May 3 2024 significantly impacted by the strike.
The third instalment to the Marvel series began filming in London earlier this month, with the official Deadpool Twitter account even sharing a sneak peak of actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on set on Monday.
Other UK productions include Beetlejuice 2 which has also kicked off filming in Buckinghamshire, according to some leaked set photos.
The sequel to the 1988 fantasy-comedy is set to come out in September 2024, and will see Michael Keaton return as the ghost with the most and Winona Ryder reprise her role as Lydia Deetz.
Jenna Ortega has also joined the cast as Lydia’s daughter. Vampire comedy The Radleys, starring Damian Lewis and Line of Duty star Kelly Macdonald, is currently filming in Yorkshire while psychological thriller Speak No Evil, with James McAvoy, is filming in Gloucester.
The former is expected to hit cinemas sometime in 2024, while the latter has a release date of August 9 2024, but both may be affected by the strikes.
Other films that are currently being filmed in the UK include Amateur, starring Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan and Laurence Fishburne as well as the romantic comedy The Gorge, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy.
Filming for Gladiator 2, which started in June, is also partly taking place in UK – as well as in Malta and Morocco – and so could be affected.
