Hollywood will soon grind to a halt, as US-based actors are going on strike after negotiations with studios broke down.
The SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) actors trade union has been calling for better pay and increased safeguarding around AI rights, but its members are now set for a walkout.
SAG-AFTRA's national board formally approved strike action on Thursday morning (July 13), after talks with Hollywood studios failed to reach an agreement.
The union represents 160,000 performers, and news of their strike action comes at a tense time for Hollywood as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is already on strike in a dispute over pay.
The decision means this is the first actors' strike against the film and television industry since 1980, and the first time actors and writers have been on strike simultaneously since 1960.
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AMPTP, an organisation that negotiates on behalf of Netflix, Disney and a variety of other companies, announced it is "deeply disappointed" by the breakdown in negotiations.
"Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods," AMPTP said in a statement.
Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA stated that AMPTP "remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on the key issues".
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said: "SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP's responses to the union's most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry."
Britain's performing arts and entertainment union Equity, which has 50,000 members, also shared a statement in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA: "Equity stands full square behind our sister union in their claim, and the action their Board have agreed to take... SAG-AFTRA has our total solidarity in this fight.
"We say clearly to the AMPTP and their members that they need to move significantly and swiftly to meet the reasonable aspirations of SAG-AFTRA's members. The members of our unions, and all entertainment unions across the globe, create the vast wealth within our industry – it is right and just that they have decent, modern pay and conditions.
"Equity will be organising demonstrations, rallies, and protests in the coming days and weeks to show our solidarity with our sister union and their fight. As Equity's motto says: To all artists good work. To all workers good art. To all people: Equity. And to SAG-AFTRA: Victory."
Related: Daredevil: Born Again shuts down production amid writers' strike
The strike takes effect from midnight Pacific Time on Thursday, with picketing to begin on Friday morning (July 14) and as a result, numerous TV and film productions will likely be impacted.
In the world of TV, HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon is currently filming season 2 with multiple high-profile actors in its cast. As a result, the strike may cause the shoot to be halted.
Numerous other TV projects are already on hold due to the writers' strike including The White Lotus season 3 and Emily in Paris season 4.
Similarly, several movie productions are expected to be affected. The third instalment in the Paddington series, Paddington in Peru, is due to start production on July 24, but may be delayed by the strike action.
Another highly anticipated movie sequel, Beetlejuice 2 is currently shooting. With Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and Michael Keaton set to star in the new film, it may be another casualty of the SAG walkout.
According to Deadline, work on Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 and Kate Winslet's new HBO miniseries The Regime (previously known as The Palace) is believed to have been completed in recent weeks.
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Emma is an experienced entertainment news journalist with NCTJ accreditation and a First-Class Honours Degree in Journalism. Having started her career as a broadcast journalist, Emma’s voice has been heard on varying radio stations across the UK including Absolute, Magic, BBC Three Counties Radio, LBC London News and more.
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