Today, the Screen Actors Guild has announced they will officially go on strike today as they failed to reach an agreement with AMPTP (on behalf of the major Hollywood Studios). The strike will effectively halt every major film and television currently in production indefinitely, including Deadpool 3 and The Gladiator 2. This strike is similar to the WGA strike that commenced back in May, as the writers of every major film and television program also went on strike.
“As you know, over the past decade, your compensation has been severely eroded by the rise of the streaming ecosystem. Furthermore, artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to creative professions, and all actors and performers deserve contract language that protects them from having their identity and talent exploited without consent and pay. Despite our team’s dedication to advocating on your behalf, the AMPTP has refused to acknowledge that enormous shifts in the industry and economy have had a detrimental impact on those who perform labor for the studios.” – SAG President Fran Drescher
The difference is that the WGA only affected some television programs in production but did affect all future projects, as writers were not allowed to continue work. The SAG strike will affect everything as all actors that are part of the Guild may not work, promote or attend any current or upcoming production. This included why every major Hollywood studio backed out of promoting at San Deigo Comic-Con later this month (via Comicbook.com). The last time both WGA and SAG both went on strike was back in the 1960s when Ronald Regan was the SAG president. The DGA reached an agreement last month regarding compensation for Hollywood directors.
