It appears that Hollywood is on the verge of work stoppage, unlike anything the country has seen since 1960. Late Tuesday evening, Deadline confirmed that contract negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the SAG-AFTRA broke off without resolution.
“SAG-AFTRA’s Television/Theatrical/Streaming contracts have expired without a successor agreement,” a statement from the union reads, according to Deadline.
“After more than four weeks of bargaining, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — the entity that represents major studios and streamers, including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery — remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on the key issues that are essential to SAG-AFTRA members.”
The AMPTP, which includes major film and television studios, said that this was the “Union’s choice, not [theirs].”
“Rather than continuing to negotiate,” a statement from AMPTP reads.
“SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.”
With no resolution in sight, the SAG-AFTRA national board is expected to meet Thursday morning to formally approve a strike. One day later, members of the union are expected to begin picketing. If the union moves forward with the strike, it would mark the first time since 1960 that the Writers’ Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, formally known as the Screen Actors Guild, went on strike at the same time. To put that into context, Ronald Reagan was the president of the Screen Actors Guild at the time of the strike.
For film and television consumers, a concurrent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike will have a hefty impact on the content they consume. On the surface, consumers may notice that Hollywood stars pull back from promoting their projects. For example, the cast of Oppenheimer may not appear at tonight’s premiere in London. More importantly, the production of notable films and television shows will likely cease until a new agreement is reached. Furthermore, networks and streaming services may lean on reality shows as scripted series and films cease production.
