The new ‘Paddington’ movie is reportedly shooting despite the strike that has brought Hollywood to a standstill.
‘Paddington in Peru’ starring Ben Whishaw, 42, is said to be filming in the UK as part of a handful of productions which are going ahead amid the 171,500-strong actors’ and writers’ walk out.
The Independent reported: “The Paris and London-based Studiocanal, which produces ‘Paddington’, is not a member of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the body with which the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union is in dispute.”
But it added a new Paddington cast member, Rachel Zegler, 22, left London after the strike was called and joined fellow actors on a New York SAG-AFTRA picket line, partly over fears AI will be used by studios instead of humans.
The UK industry is highly vulnerable to the strike since it has become the favoured location for streamers and Hollywood studios to locate high-end productions due to Britain’s flexible and skilled technical workforce.
But the SAG-AFTRA union is also giving “waivers” to allow some independent productions working outside of the AMPTP to continue.
An industry insider told The Independent: “It’s a confusing situation. People who support the strike are asking Equity if they should be working.
“Top-level actors can ride out the strike. But there are lots of skilled craftspeople on freelance contracts in the UK who have been sent home and don't know when they can work again.”
British-based productions that have been halted amid the strike include Brad Pitt's F1 untitled motor racing film for Apple+.
Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Deadpool 3’, ‘Wicked’ starring Ariana Grande and Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice 2’ are among the films due to be shooting in Britain which are also on pause.
