In what is set to be the largest union action since 1980, the Screen Actors Guild have voted to go on strike, beginning at midnight Pacific time (8.00am UK time). Unions are lobbying for an equitable share of profits and better working conditions, and in reply the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said “a strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life. The union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry.” The negotiating committee voted unanimously to recommend strike action, and so most US film and TV productions will be brought to a halt. No reshoots or promotional work will take place, meaning ongoing productions – even those close to completion – will be adversely affected.
Stars Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt left the Oppenheimer premiere as the strike began, according to director Christopher Nolan.
The SAG strike will begin at midnight Los Angeles time (08:00 BST). Picketing will begin an hour later outside the California headquarters of Netflix, before moving on to Paramount, Warner Bros and Disney.
The union is also asking for a guarantee that artificial intelligence and computer-generated faces and voices will not be used to replace actors.
According to a strike order published online by SAG, the walkout applies to those employed acting, singing or dancing, as well as stunt performers and those involved in puppeteering or motion capture work. The work stoppage also applies to a variety of background and promotional tasks.
On Wednesday, the union – officially known as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA – announced that it was unable to come to an agreement with major studios.
Speaking to CNBC from the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho earlier today Disney CEO Bob Iger had this to say.
“It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption,” Iger said. “I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver. We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we’d like to do the same thing with the actors. There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
The Directors Guild of America negotiated a contract in June and therefore won’t participate in this action, but regardless of that there are certain to be significant disruptions to major projects over the coming years, in the wider entertainment industry and certainly within the Star Wars galaxy.
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- Soule, Charles (Author)
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- 31 Pages - 08/02/2023 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
