By Aaron Miller-
The filming industry will be badly affected by the strikes conducted by actors and performers in Hollywood, as they undertake the largest strike in over 60 years
The trickle-down effect of the strikes could touch every facet of the Southern California economy, including the housing market.
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Writers are finding their work devalued in every part of the business,” the unions that represent some 11,000 Hollywood scribes wrote in a March report, which revealed that the weekly median pay for a TV writer-producer has declined 4% over the last decade.
This economic fallout from the strike could surpass the estimated $2.1 billion lost in the 100-day strike 16 years ago. That strike solely included the writers, so you can see how this could be worse.
Discontent over pay rates is not unfamiliar territory for both writers and their pay masters.
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The Writers Guild of America had declared war on the immensely powerful talent agencies, several of which had mutated into full-blown media conglomerates over the years, backed by private-equity money.
Film and TV projects that have already completed their shooting and are now in post-production are not directly affected, but other different productions have already postponed their release dates, including the sequel to “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Disney’s “Blade” remake, whose scripts were not completed before the writers’ strike.
The Marvel film “Captain America: Brave New World” reportedly wrapped its shoot briefly before the actors’ strike started — though reshoots are often part of the production process in such films, which is why the release date has already been pushed back.
Other productions of highly-anticipated movies that had to pause due to the strike include Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice 2,” Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool 3,” Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2,” the martial arts sequel “Mortal Kombat 2,” the Tom Cruise action movie “Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 2” and “Paddington in Peru,” the third film in the beloved Paddington bear franchise.
Many more works are affected by the walkout, including international film and television productions with US stars.
According to strike rules, actors must not only stop all production work, from auditions to shooting, but are also barred from promoting their work on podcasts or at premieres.
The “Oppenheimer” cast prematurely left the London premiere of the film on Thursday, a few hours before the actors’ strike officially started.
Next week’s other big release, “Barbie,” held its UK premiere on Wednesday, where lead star Margot Robbie said on the red carpet that she was “absolutely” in support of the strike.
The impacts of the strikes also extend beyond the shores of America.
The Australian film and TV sector will also be hit hard by the strike action in Hollywood.
A number of productions shooting or about to shoot down under are expected to grind to a halt as actors join writers in the strike.
The Sam Neill/Annette Bening drama Apples Never Fall, currently in production in Queensland with an estimated budget of $79 million, will be one of the biggest shows locally to be affected by the industrial action, which has been sparked by concerns over residual payments from streamers and a refusal to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the industry.
The situation is similar in Canada.
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) has 28,000 members working in Canadian productions.
In a statement, ACTRA said “members from across Canada stand in steadfast solidarity with SAG-AFTRA and its members in their effort to achieve a fair and equitable contract.”
Some Canadians are already being impacted by strikes, especially a lot of contents for Hollywood is shot in Canada. Fellow writers and performers are uniting in solidarity with their colleagues.
The collective stand is a designed to ignite a wake up call for all pay masters to step up their game and fully respect the talents and commitments of actors.
The outside world always imagined all was rosy in the acting industry, this historic strike makes it clear that it is not all paradise for everyone in Hollywood despite the remarkable scope for fae and fortune for the best paid actors there.
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