At the same time as the scriptwriters’ strike, the US entertainment industry is threatened with an actors’ strike starting Wednesday. If an agreement between the SAG-AFTRA trade union and the Association of TV and Film Studios (AMPTP) fails to materialize at the last minute, US media estimates that hardly any films and series can be made.
A negotiated peace is still valid until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday evening (Los Angeles local time), for the time after that the SAG-AFTRA members had instructed their chairwoman Fran Drescher (“Die Nanny”) in a ballot to call the strike if it failed. This would start a double strike, because the union would join the screenwriters in their break, who have already stopped work since May 2nd.
Declining budgets and AI characters
Both creative industries are suffering from the fact that although more films and series are being produced, budgets are falling and series are often shot with fewer episodes per season. In addition, unlike on television, repetitions with streaming providers bring lower royalties for the creatives and are independent of the number of viewers. In a statement, SAG-AFTRA also said there is a growing possibility that animated AI characters will be able to replicate members’ acting in a deceptively realistic way, which poses a “real and imminent threat.” Therefore, among other things, SAG-AFTRA wants to achieve more money and clear rules for the use of AI.
Around 65,000 members took part in a ballot on June 7, and 97.9 percent voted in favor of a strike. An open letter with more than 1,000 signatures, in which many stars called on the union to negotiate relentlessly, also caused a stir. Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Stiller and Pedro Pascal, among others, signed this statement of solidarity.
SAG-AFTRA has more than 160,000 members, including film and television actors, stunt performers, TV journalists and presenters. The strike would only affect actors and actresses for series and films. It would be binding for all of them, they would not be allowed to work in front of the camera. In theory, productions with non-union actors could continue, but SAG-AFTRA has already announced that it will ask future membership applications whether a candidate was a scab.
Series like “Stranger Things” are completely on hold
Because of the ongoing negotiations, some production companies had already postponed the release of films that had already been announced. These include new Marvel superhero films based on Captain America or Blade, Disney’s live-action adaptation of the hit animation “Moana” and the planned “Avatar” sequels. However, because films have a long production and marketing lead time, the consequences of a strike are unlikely to be felt for a few months at the earliest
The writing of many television series, on the other hand, is already on hold because of the writers’ strike. Their union WGA has also already received support from set employees, so that no filming could be maintained and series like “Stranger Things” or “Yellow Jackets” are currently not being produced.
