LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), which represent a significant number of actors in film and television, are in talks for a new contract agreement with major Hollywood studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). While the existing deal expired on June 30, the SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP agreed to extend the deadline till July 12, 11.59 pm Pacific Time.
The negotiating actors are fighting for better wages and benefits and the controlled use of Artificial Intelligence. They are also addressing the issues with self-taped auditions and residuals of the value of their contribution. If the two feuding parties cannot reach a negotiation by July 12, the actors’ union may go on strike, resulting in a complete shut down of Hollywood. Let’s have a look at what might happen if SAG-AFTRA decides to join the WGA strike which is currently in its ninth week.
'No scripted shows can keep going'
Due to the Writers’ strike, only a few scripts were completed. Thus a few series like ‘House of the Dragon’ and the Kim Kardashian-starrer ‘American Horror Story’ were the only ones being filmed. However, if the SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP do not reach an agreement by July 12, filming of all series will be forced to halt from July 13, 12 am PST. The entire television industry will be experiencing a shutdown.
Marc Malkin of Variety claimed, "If SAG-AFTRA goes on strike, no scripted shows can keep going because the actors are on strike. How do you film a show without the actors?" before adding, "And really, the only thing that will be in production [amid an an actors' strike] will be reality TV shows."
Deadline reports that shooting for the series like ‘Duster’, ‘The Penguin’, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’, ‘Billions’, Robert De Niro’s ‘Zero Day’, ‘The Old Man’ and ‘Severance’ have already been shut down, while writing for ‘Abbott Elementary’, ‘Yellowjackets’, ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Cobra Kai’ have all been paused. Apple’s ‘Metropolis’ has borne one of the severest brunt as all work on the series has completely halted.
Combined SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike can push back film releases
Initially, movie producers were sitting comfortably as they had full control over completed scripts already at their disposal. But the SAG-AFTRA strike coupled with the WGA strike can push back many upcoming releases. As per Deadline, while the producers are unwilling to move any 2023 release to 2024, a strike can delay the release of many films making the upcoming Autum and Winter release calendar pretty sparse.
In fact, due to incomplete scripts, Disney has already announced the pushback of dates for their two upcoming Marvel releases. ‘Avengers: Kang Dynasty’ has been postponed to May 1, 2026 from May 2, 2025. ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ has been moved to May 7, 2027 from May 1, 2026.
Paramount’s ‘Gladiator 2’, Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’, Sony’s ‘Venom 3’, and Warner Bros’ Clint Eastwood drama ‘Juror No. 2’ may potentially be hit by the Actors’ strike as they are in the middle of shooting. Some of the films, which are at the last leg of their filming, including Sony’s ‘Bad Boys 4’ and Warner Bros’ ‘Beetlejuice 2’ that are racing against time to wrap up shooting.
The Emmys could be postponed
The Emmys might be postponed from its original airing date of September 18 to January next year if a definitive agreement cannot be reached. As per the news outlet, the planning conversations for the Emmys will start from July 15 and the committee will expect a decision by the end of the month to get a clear picture of whether the award can be hosted on September 18 or not.
Comic-Con schedules in disarray
The San Diego Comic Con is scheduled to take place from July 19 to 23. While the organizers have announced the schedule that features the likes of Paramount’s Seth Rogen produced ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’, ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’, the guest lists are not finalized. If you are asking why, remember that once the contract agreement with studios expires on July 12, actors will not be allowed to promote the productions. Thus the future of the San Diego Comic-Con is still in the dark.
When was the last time Hollywood had an actor’s strike?
The last time Hollywood witnessed an actors’ strike was in 1980, when the industry shut down for almost three months. It was a labor strike during which the two unions representing the American actors, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (two separate entities then) fought for a share in the income from home media such as videocassettes and pay television. The conflict between the two actors’ unions and the representatives of film studios and broadcasting networks resulted in an industry standstill for three whole months.
The main demands of the striking artists were to receive a share in the profit from the revenues made by the production companies from home media releases. They also fought for a 35% increase in their salaries. Due to the strike, several projects were halted including three films that were being filmed in New York. Actors also boycotted that year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, where only one nominated actor attended - Powers Boothe.
The strike started on July 21. It wasn’t until mid-September, agreements were made between the two groups. Finally, the two groups came to an agreement where it was decided the actors would be receiving a profit percentage from the home media releases and their salaries would also increase. However, the producers’ side did not agree on the percentage the actors guild originally asked for. However, the SAG-AFTRA finally signed the agreement by mid-October as they were given further benefits including healthcare, pensions, etc. The 1980 actors’ strike also initiated the course of a merger between SAG and AFTRA, which was finalized in 2012 due to their shared interests.
