the actors join the screenwriters in the strike after the failure of the negotiations with the studios – Liberation

2023-07-13 21:36:14

After the screenwriters, it is the turn of the actors’ union to announce this Thursday, July 13 the walkout, paralyzing the filming of films and series. A first for sixty years.

And two. After the walkout of the screenwriters, the powerful union of American actors announced Thursday its official strike from this Friday, a decision which should completely paralyze Hollywood, where the production of films and series is already slowing down because of the social movement of the feathers . “The national council of SAG-AFTRA has voted unanimously for a strike order against studios and broadcasters”, announced Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director of this union which represents 160,000 actors and other professionals of the small and big screen.

“After more than four weeks of negotiations, the Alliance of Film and Television Producers […] still refuses to offer a fair deal on key issues that are essential to SAG-AFTRA members,” such as their compensation, the actors’ union lamented in a statement Thursday morning.

Wage hikes and fears of AI

The deadline for negotiations to reach an agreement between actors and major Hollywood studios was set for Thursday, July 13. The actors on strike thus join the screenwriters, who stopped work at the beginning of May. This double social movement bringing together the faces and feathers of the film industry is a first since 1960 in Hollywood.

The two trades are demanding an increase in their remuneration, at half mast in the era of streaming. They also want guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence, to prevent AI from generating scripts, or cloning their voice and image.

Without actors and especially without stars, all called to join the picket line, filming is simply no longer possible. Only a few “talk shows” and reality TV shows could continue. This strike also seriously handicaps the promotion of blockbusters expected in theaters this summer, such as the film Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan, whose London premiere this Thursday was brought forward by an hour to allow its cast to ensure interviews before the start. of the strike, or its adversary at the box office Barbie by Greta Gerwig, the object of a marketing hype of all the devils.

The absence of comedians on the red carpets will leave a big void, like at the Emmy Awards, the television “Oscars”, scheduled for September 18. The production plans to postpone the event to November, or even to next year, according to the American press. No one knows how long the strike movement could last. The actors have not gone on strike since 1980. The last of the screenwriters dates back to 2007-2008: the conflict lasted 100 days and cost the sector two billion dollars.