Hollywood actors await with uncertainty their union’s decision on whether or not to go on strike in the US summer, a key season for the industry, as negotiations with the studios appear stalled. The Actors Union (SAG-AFTRA) said in a statement that it “does not trust that the employers intend to negotiate an agreement.”
“Studios know what our members need and when they bring this to the table, we will listen, but it is important that they know that time is running out,” the union added.
The actors union extended its collective agreement in agreement with the studios until midnight yesterday in Los Angeles. The negotiations focus on salary increases and other benefits, as well as defining the use of artificial intelligence in the production of movies and television shows.
If the parties do not reach an agreement before this deadline or decide another extension, the actors will join the scriptwriters, who have already been on strike for more than two months, on pickets, outside the studios.
A double strike, something not seen in Hollywood in more than sixty years, threatens to bring film and television production to a near halt.
Just as the industry is trying to recover from the pandemic, the shutdown could also prevent stars from advertising some of the summer releases, such as Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which is scheduled to hit the red carpet in New York on Monday.
Comic-Con in San Diego could run out of stars, while the red carpet this weekend at Disneyland to launch “Haunted Mansion” could be reduced to a “private event.”
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
