All of Your Questions About the SAG-AFTRA Strike, Answered
For the first time in over six decades, both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) have gone on strike. This means that Hollywood screenwriters and actors have joined together in the fight for higher wages and better working conditions, effectively shutting down many productions across the globe.
Does this mean that my television will just be static when I turn it on? Well, no. (That's not really a thing anymore.) Will I have to wait until 2025 for a new Marvel movie? Probably not, even if it might be for the best. Nonetheless, both strikes will eventually have major ramifications for viewers at home, so we answered your biggest questions about the ongoing situation below.
What Are the Actors Fighting For?
Much like the writers, SAG members are fighting for better pay—and against declining residuals. "This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough," a SAG-AFTRA letter to leadership stated back in June. "We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories. With inflation and continued growth in streaming, we need a seismic realignment of our minimum pay and new media residuals."
Fran Drescher, President of SAG-AFTRA, in her stunning strike announcement: “If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines.” pic.twitter.com/HO8OPzmi9m
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) July 13, 2023
How Has Hollywood Responded?
During a CNBC appearance, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that he thought the strikers were not being "realistic." "It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption,” Iger said. "I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver... There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive." Naturally, his comments weren't exactly met with cheers.
Will TV Shows and Films Still Release as Planned?
Yes and no. Many completed series will premiere as usual throughout the year. In fact, audiences won't particularly notice a change in the TV release schedule until next year. For upcoming seasons that have yet to be written, the WGA strike has already halted production or delayed filming indefinitely. As the strike continues on, you may notice more 2024 releases becoming 2025 releases, and so on. Many upcoming projects from Disney, including Marvel films and Avatar sequels, have already been pushed back, for example. Unscripted series, such as reality television, broadcast, and talk shows will continue. However, many late night shows have already been taken off the air.
From: Esquire US
