It was waiting to happen. Late on Thursday, thousands of actors across film and television went on strike, for the first time since 1980, joining writers (who have been on strike since the last 11 weeks) on the picket lines. The announcement of the strike prompted the A-list cast of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer — including Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh — to walk out of the UK premiere of the film, with all of them joining the strike with immediate effect. Nolan told the cinema audience that they were "off to write their picket signs", adding that he supported them in their demands.
The shutdown will bring countless TV and movie productions to a grinding halt, except for independent productions that are not covered by labour contracts with unions. Some 160,000 performers are on strike, in what is the industry's biggest shutdown for more than 60 years.
Work on dramas and comedies has already ground to a halt in Los Angeles, according to FilmLA, which issues film permits. Production on the new seasons of Stranger Things and The Handmaid's Tale, besides many others, have already shut down.
At a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Screen Actors Guild president Fran Drescher explained that a strike was the inevitable result of actors feeling "disrespected" by studios. "At some point, you have to say: 'No, we are not going to take this any more. There was nothing there, it was insulting." SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) wants streaming giants to agree to a fairer split of profits and better working conditions. It also wants to protect actors from being usurped by digital replicas.
THE IMPACT
The impact of the strike will be felt more on TV and streaming, since films typically take a few years to make and the releases lined up over the next few months in theatres have already been completed. But future releases, such as Marvel's Blade and Thunderbolts, have been delayed and more are expected to be put on hold until the labour conflicts are resolved. Promotional events for forthcoming movies still to be released will be cancelled. These include premieres, red carpet dos and talk show appearances.
WHAT'S ON, WHAT'S NOT
Netflix, Prime Video and other streaming services can continue to supply local-language shows made in places such as Korea and India. But their Hollywood productions are paused for the moment. Broadcast networks in the US, including Fox and ABC, have announced fall lineups heavy with reality shows, which are not affected by the strikes. ABC will air re-runs of hit comedy Abbott Elementary and Fox will feature an animated comedy that was already completed before the strike.
However, fresh seasons of comedies and dramas that typically start in September will likely be delayed. News programmes in the US will continue as normal because their writers are covered by a different union. The same is true for unscripted reality shows such as Big Brother and The Bachelor. The Emmy Awards, planned for September 18 , will likely be delayed until both strikes are resolved. The San Diego Comic-Con, set to take place between July 20 and 23, will most probably be rescheduled or scaled back.
To recap, 11 weeks ago, 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America walked out in an effort to secure higher wages and specific terms related to AI-powered writing tools such as ChatGPT. Their fear is such technology could be called in to supplement or substitute for human writers. Hollywood actors, who are members of the Screen Actors Guild, have gone on strike seeking better compensation at a time when incomes are threatened by everything from streaming service deals to nascent artificial intelligence.Past actors' guild strikes included a six-week walkout in 1960, which was led by its then-president, and future US president, Ronald Reagan. The 1980 strike lasted three months, while a 1986 strike, the most recent until now, lasted 14 hours.
