It looks like that writers' strike in the US could well be going ahead.
Earlier this month, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced that it was threatening to strike from May 2 due to a row over pay, and the strike has now been approved by its members.
Deadline reports that film and TV writers have overwhelmingly given their support to the strike action with a huge 96.3% of the 6,310 writers who cast ballots approving the action.
If the final talks for a deal between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) fail this week, then the strike will begin at midnight on May 1 when the current film and TV contract expires.
The strike could see the new seasons of Modern Family and Empire, among others, postponed, while late night chat and sketch shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live will be affected immediately.
"We thank you for your resolve and your faith in us as your representatives. We are determined to achieve a fair contract. Talks will resume tomorrow," the 2017 WGA negotiating committee said in a statement.
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Summer shows like Orange Is the New Black and Fear the Walking Dead will be unaffected as they have already been filmed and will air as usual.
The AMPTP said after the vote results that the two sides are "committed to reaching a deal".
"The 2007 Writers Strike hurt everyone. Writers lost more than $287 million in compensation that was never recovered, deals were cancelled, and many writers took out strike loans to make ends meet," they added.
When the WGA went on strike in 2007, it lasted for 100 days and led to the likes of Breaking Bad and The Big Bang Theory having their number of episodes cut.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
