When the WGA strike was resolved, it was assumed that SAG-AFTRA would follow suit, and while negotiations did resume shortly after, it's now come to light that industry CEOs have walked away from the bargaining table after refusing to counter the actors union's latest offer.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the major studios in labor dealings, revealed that the talks had been called off because the sides remained too divided.
“After meaningful conversations, it is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction,” the studio alliance said in a statement.
The biggest sticking point for the AMPTP seems to be SAG-AFTRA asking for a 2% cut of streaming revenue, which company executives believe is simply not a realistic demand. The AMPTP claims that this would end up costing the companies more than $800 million per year and “create an untenable economic burden.”
Another bone of contention is the use of generative artificial intelligence, which actors say represents a threat to their livelihoods.
This is obviously a very disappointing development, and could very well lead to more delays. Both The Marvels and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom have stuck with their respective release dates, but if the SAG-AFTRA strike goes on much longer, the cast won't be able to do any promotion.
You can have a read through SAG-ATRA's statement in the thread below.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.