SAG-AFTRA will decide whether its members are going on strike later today, meaning actors could soon join the writers refusing to work as part of the ongoing battle between the WGA and Hollywood. As a result, the entire film and television industry could soon grind to a halt.
However, those of you hoping movie studios will rush to give these creatives what they deserve are likely to be as disappointed as those currently on the picket lines. According to Deadline, multiple sources have confirmed they're planning to treat writers with zero mercy as we head into the Fall.
As of now, all signs point to the WGA strike lasting until late October, with the plan being to wear down the Guild members in an effort to make them more agreeable to the terms being laid out by studios.
"The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses," a studio executive tells the trade, with another insider adding it's viewed as "a cruel but necessary evil."
Studios and streamers feel that writers who are struggling financially will force WGA leadership to resume talks and settle matters before Christmas. Money is a key issue, of course, but the WGA's demands about everything from A.I. to the size of writers' rooms on TV shows appear to be a major sticking point as well.
This means we should prepare for some huge delays heading into 2024, especially as the projects which have already paused production - Daredevil: Born Again, The Penguin, and Thunderbolts, for example - are unable to resume work until the strike ends.
Whether it's Marvel Studios, Star Wars, or even the newly launched DC Studios, countless movies and TV shows are going to slip down the release calendar and that's bad news for theaters, streamers, networks and, well, you the fans.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.