Hollywood’s actors are on strike, joining writers in the first industry-wide shutdown in 63 years after last-ditch talks failed, with nearly all film and television production set to grind to a halt.
The screen actors guild (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 performers including a-list stars, said negotiations had ended without a deal on their demands over dwindling pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence.
According to the union’s chief negotiator duncan crabtree-ireland, sag-aftra’s national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers.
Writers have already spent 11 weeks on the picket line, after their similar demands for better pay and protections against the future use of ai in television and films were not met.
Popular series set to return to television this year now face lengthy delays. And, if strikes continue, major films could be postponed too.
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A strike immediately prevents actors from promoting some of the year’s biggest releases, at the peak of the movie industry’s summer blockbuster season.
3actors and writers are demanding higher pay to counteract inflation, and guarantees for their future livelihoods.
In addition to salaries when they are actively working, actors earn payments called “residuals” Every time a film or show they starred in is aired on network or cable — helpful when performers are between projects.
But streamers like netflix and disney+ do not disclose viewing figures for their shows, and offer the same flat rate for everything on their platforms, regardless of its popularity.
Muddying the waters further is the issue of AI. Both actors and writers want guarantees to regulate its use, but studios have refused to budge.
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