The current Hollywood writer’s strike engulfing the American entertainment industry could very well be nearing its end. That’s after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) recently reached a tentative agreement. Both groups released a joint statement confirming the news.
What began 146 days ago as a strike to ensure better wages and conditions for the thousands of WGA members has now seen a deal framework finalised. This came after five days of negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP – involving executives Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, and David Zaslav from Warner Bros. Discovery.
Final ‘I’s’ to be dotted
To end this Hollywood writer’s strike the deal still needs to be voted on and approved by the union’s members. As Variety reports the WGA’s negotiating committee sent an email to members saying: “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.” Which would indicate that a positive vote is highly likely.
However, the email also clarified: “To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild. We are still on strike until then.”
The deal specifics have yet to be released, although that should happen in the coming days. One of the sticking points was the use of generative AI in content production. Plus there was also a studio request for writers to get back to work soon after the deal is signed. Reports suggest that in a show of solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA union, WGA members would not return until both unions had agreements. WGA and AMPTP have seemingly managed to resolve that issue as well.
This is only a tentative agreement, remember. Even if it is signed there’s still the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Getting back to normality will take a while still.
Movies, TV shows and everything in between have been affected over the past few months. Big-budget films already completed like Dune: Part II have been delayed to 2024. Those in production, like Deadpool 3 and Tron: Ares have been indefinitely delayed. Even the long-awaited Beetlejuice 2 with two days left of filming had to stop.
Are you glad to see the Hollywood writer’s strike ending? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
You must be logged in to post a comment.