Two major strikes have paralysed Hollywood for months. But now there is a much-awaited agreement in the writers’ strike. A return to normality after months of strikes and postponements like “Dune 2” is still a long time coming.
After 146 days of strike, the union of major Hollywood studios and streaming services around Disney, Warner, Netflix, Amazon, Sony and Co. have reached an agreement with the screenwriters’ union. The union, which is fighting for fairer pay, more subsidies for health insurance, better working conditions and clear regulations on dealing with AI, among other things, calls the deal “extraordinary” in a statement.
But so far there are no details about the agreement, which is the result of days of talks that suddenly resumed. The reason: so far, only verbal agreements have been reached. Now it is up to the lawyers on both sides to put what has been discussed into a contract. Only then will it be possible to say exactly what has been agreed.
FOR THE TIME BEING, THE STRIKE CONTINUES
The fact that so far there is no new contract, which in any case still has to be confirmed in a vote, is one reason why there will be no immediate return to normality. The main reason, however, is why Hollywood has been at a standstill for weeks, hardly any films or series can be shot, ongoing filming for films such as “Gladiator 2” or “Deadpool 3” is simply interrupted in the middle, stars are not doing any advertising for films and cinema releases such as “Dune 2” have been postponed: The actors* are also still on strike and are still far away from a deal. Talks have not yet resumed.
The screenwriters’ union also announced that they will continue to strike in solidarity with the actors. They will no longer organise their own rallies, but call on their own members to join the actors’ rallies. As long as a contract is not signed, the scriptwriters are not allowed to return to work. Therefore, no new material will be developed and scripts will not be finalised.
There is hope, however, that there will now be a timely agreement on the second industrial action and thus a return to normality in the near future. As many of the demands are similar, the agreement reached with the writers’ union should be a good conversation starter for new negotiations between the studios and the actors’ union.
