Striking writers whose industrial action has paralyzed Hollywood on Sunday said that they had reached an “exceptional” deal with studios that could see them go back to work.
The apparent breakthrough raised hopes that striking actors could also reach terms with studios to end a months-long impasse that has seen film and TV production largely halted, costing the California economy billions of US dollars.
“We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 (minimum basic agreement), which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language,” said a letter the Writers Guild of America (WGA) sent to members. “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
Photo: AFP
The letter gave no details. It said language was being ironed out and that the final say on whether to accept what was on offer rested with the membership.
“To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild. We are still on strike until then. But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing,” it said.
A terse joint statement from the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the umbrella group representing studios and streamers, confirmed an agreement.
Thousands of film and television scribes downed their pens in early May over demands including better pay for writers, greater rewards for creating hit shows and protection from artificial intelligence.
They have manned picket lines for months outside offices including Netflix and Disney, and were joined by striking actors in mid-July, leaving normally busy Hollywood lots all but vacant, in an ebullient and united show of force.
Actors’ union the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) congratulated the WGA, praising the “incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines.”
“While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members,” it said.
Negotiations between studios and writers had been moribund for weeks until a new sense of urgency appeared to have been injected into the process in the past few days, with the heads of Netflix, Disney, Universal and Warner Bros Discovery personally attending the talks.
Among their demands, writers say their salaries have not kept up with inflation and that the rise of streaming has diminished the “residuals” they earn when a show they work on becomes a smash hit.
Writers have also demanded curbs on the use of artificial intelligence, which they fear could be used to partially replace them in generating films or show scripts, and therefore further undercut their pay.
The Financial Times reported that Milken Institute research at the start of this month put the cost of the standstill at US$5 billion.
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