SAG-AFTRA agrees on deal with studios after over 100 days on strike
The actors' union reached a tentative deal with companies, all but ending a historically long Hollywood labor crisis.
LEARN MOREPosted: 9:36 a.m. EST Nov 9, 2023
The lights could be coming back on in television and movie production studios soon.
The union representing tens of thousands of actors who have been on strike since May, SAG-AFTRA, announced a breakthrough deal Wednesday.
In July, actors stood alongside screenwriters on picket lines during a summer strike that lasted 118 days. The parties reached a tentative deal through a unanimous vote, officially bringing an end to the strike at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday.
"In a contract valued at over one billion dollars, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope," the union said. "The deal includes numerous improvements for multiple categories, including outsize compensation increases for background performers and critical contract provisions protecting diverse communities."
The full details of the agreement will be revealed after the union's national board reviews and approves the tentative deal, expected to happen Friday.
What we do know is that Hollywood strikes by both writers and actors, which lasted a total of six months, are expected to have cost California more than $6.5 billion and led to the loss of 45,000 entertainment industry jobs, according to Deadline.
While the deal between the striking actors and studios or streaming services won't promptly bring filming back to full swing, as that process could take weeks if not months, here's a glimpse of the shows and movies that could resume production.
The strikes put a stop to the production of “Beetlejuice 2,” “Deadpool 3," “Gladiator 2,” “Juror #2” and the live-action “Lilo & Stitch." Those are likely among the first films that will resume production, as some of them were in the final stages.
After the writers strike ended Sept. 27, scriptwriters are already back to work on "Abbott Elementary," "The White Lotus" and "Yellowjackets." The end of the actors strike means productions can now restart as the stars are free to return to work.
Promotions for movies such as “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “The Marvels” could also start back up as the strike prevented actors from promoting any of their work that had been done with major studios. While production for "Dune: Part Two" was done, the movie was delayed due to the strike with Warner Bros. saying it would not release the movie until its actors, such as Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, could promote it.
Many more shows and movies, like “Grey's Anatomy” and “Avatar 3,” paused production during the strikes, opting to postpone their premiere dates to resume production once the strikes concluded.
