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The writer’s strike in Hollywood is coming to an end! After the nearly five-month-long strike, a temporary agreement has been reached. The strike has been the longest in Hollywood in over 60 years, marking its place in history. On May 2, 2023, the strike began.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) came together to protest for better work conditions, higher pay, and protection with potential job replacements by Artificial intelligence (AI) in the future. This strike has not only affected the production of films and TV shows but has also meant writers and actors have not been working, thus not getting paid.
Related: Disney’s “Un Poco Loco” Restaurant Underway Amid Strikes
According to BBC, “Financial experts estimate the writers’ walkout has cost the US economy around $5 billion.” President Joe Biden weighed in this week on the agreement, stating, “I urge all employers to remember that all workers – including writers, actors, and autoworkers – deserve a fair share of the value their labor helped create.” The support of the President and the siblings of the industry helped show the strength in numbers to finally reach an agreement.
Credit: The New York Times
WGA Strike Reach Tentative Deal
The freeze in production nearly paralyzed Hollywood for the last five months. An email sent to WGA included the statement,
“What we have won in this contract – most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2nd – is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days. It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal.”
WGA: "We have reached a tentative agreement" https://t.co/PMzDFnVWEm
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) September 25, 2023
What Does This Mean For Films
We previously reported the films that had suffered delays due to the WGA and then the SAG-AFTRA strike. One of Disney’s most recent films, Haunted Mansion (2023), likely suffered the most hardship with marketing, as actors could not participate in a promotion or the film’s red carpet. Other films like Barbie (2023) and Oppenheimer (2023) had wrapped up their promotion before the strike, allowing them to still benefit from the actor’s tactics.
Credit: Disney
Related:Â Is Bob Iger Apologizing After Crude SAG Strike Remarks?
Disney films planned for production and release have been pushed back. But with this new agreement, fans are hoping they could still be on track for current release dates. As of now, the release dates still stand, expecting Avengers: Kang Dynasty on May 1, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Avatar 3 has also been shifted to an opening date of December 15, 2025.
With exciting Disney films underway, this agreement is a positive for writers in the industry. Studios noted, “Our only playbook is getting people back to work,” which this agreement will hopefully do.
What are your thoughts on the WGA strike?
