Hollywood screenwriters, whose strike has paralyzed the industry for nearly five months, announced Sunday that they had reached an agreement in principle with the studios that would allow them to return to work.
“We have reached an agreement in principle on a new [accord de base minimum] 2023, that is, agreement in principle on all points of the agreement, subject to the final text of the contract,” states the letter that the Hollywood Screenwriters’ Union (WGA) sent to its members.
“No one should go back to work”
However, the strike is not over yet. While the WGA did not provide details on the agreement, it indicated that its details were still being worked out and that the final say would rest with its members.
“To be clear, no one should return to work until expressly authorized by the union. We remain on strike until then. But starting today we will suspend picketing. WGA strike,” the union said in the letter.
Thousands of film and television writers put down their pens in early May to demand better salaries, better rewards for creating hit shows and protection against artificial intelligence.
They have been protesting companies like Netflix and Disney for months and, along with actors striking in mid-July, have paralyzed the entertainment industry.
The actors’ strike continues
Although the agreement with the scriptwriters closes this week, the actors’ strike continues. Their union, SAG-AFTRA, the 160,000-member actors’ guild, has not spoken to studio executives since mid-July.
Enough to permanently hinder the resumption of filming of blockbusters (Gladiator 2, beetle juice2, Deadpool 3) and successful series (Strange things, Breaking off, The last of us), detained for five months.
And if an agreement is reached with SAG-AFTRA in the coming weeks, these projects should still take some time to reach our screens. Some scenarios need to be completed or even completely rewritten. You’ll also have to juggle the stars’ chaotic schedules.
Added to this situation are the classic delays in post-production. So much so that certain feature films like Venom 3 or certain series like One piece AND Emily in Paris will not be completed before the end of 2024 or during 2025.
Will talk shows return soon?
Talk shows, on the other hand, should quickly return to screens. According New York TimesThe writers of these programs, very popular in the United States, could return to work this week.
But they will not be able to receive actors, who are not yet authorized by their union to promote their films.
Some talk shows attempted to resume even before the end of the strike, but had to quickly back down in the face of criticism. Actress Drew Barrymore, who wanted to relaunch her show despite the strike, was forced to give up and apologize.
The WGA strike is much longer than the 2007-2008 strike, which lasted 100 days and cost California’s economy $2.1 billion. At the beginning of September, the Financial times cited a Milken Institute study that estimated the cost of Hollywood’s current closure at $5 billion.
Source: BFM TV
