Following the recent optimistic update that the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers may finally be about to come to an arrangement that would put an end to the strike, reports are coming in that the 148-day strike, the second longest in WGA history, will conclude on 12:01 am PT Wednesday thanks to a vote from guild leadership that officially authorized some 11,500 members to return to work.
Here’s the full statement that the Negotiating Committee sent to members:
“As we reported on Sunday, the WGA reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Today, your Negotiating Committee, the WGAW Board and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. It will now go to both Guilds’ memberships for a ratification vote.
Eligible voters will receive ballot and materials for the vote which will take place from October 2nd to October 9th.
“The WGAW Board and WGAE Council also voted unanimously to lift the restraining order and end the strike as of 12:01 am PT/3:01 am ET on Wednesday, September 27th. This allows writers to return to work during the ratification process, but does not affect the membership’s right to make a final determination on contract approval. Now that we have finalized the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), we can share details of this exceptional deal, with gains and protections for members in every sector of the business."
The three-year contract is still subject to a ratification vote from members, and can only go into effect if a majority of eligible voters support the deal. The ratification vote for the contract will take place between Oct. 2 and Oct. 9.
Also, SAG-AFTRA still remains on strike, and, as far as we know, neither that union nor the AMPTP have announced any new bargaining dates. Even if the WGA deal holds, production cannot resume in any meaningful way without actors.
However, since SAG-AFTRA have a very similar set of demands, including better wages, residuals payments from streaming services for their work, and job protections against the use of artificial intelligence, it's believed that the WGA agreement will (hopefully) open the door to a sit-down with the actors' Guild.
The strikes have resulted in a freeze on major film and TV announcements (you may have noticed), cast and director promotion/interviews, and several delays. The biggest project to be pushed back is undoubtedly Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part 2, which was moved from its original release date of November 2, 2023 to March 15, 2024 (more here).
2023's remaining studio tentpole comic book/superhero movies, The Marvels and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, are staying put, with the latter recently debuting its first trailer. The feeling is that both films would have been greatly impacted by their respective casts/directors being unable to do much in the way of promotion/marketing until the strikes officially came to an end, so both Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. will likely be breathing a sigh of relief that things seem to be on track to returning to normal.