TV & Film Actors Vote To Authorize Strike, Potentially Sparking Entertainment Industry Shutdown 

TV & Film Actors Vote To Authorize Strike, Potentially Sparking Entertainment Industry Shutdown

Things are not looking so good in Hollywood.

According to recent reports, the entertainment industry could be facing serious hardships soon as the Screen Actors Guild recently made clear their intention to follow writers and go on strike.

In case you’re unfamiliar, writers in Hollywood are demanding better contract deals as the evolution of streaming and AI threaten their ability to make a long-term sustainable income. It has been over a month since writers began walking off production sets, halting many major projects in the works. Several of the Marvel Universe movies have been stalled, including the highly anticipated “Blade” film starring Mahershala Ali. Additionally, the coming “Spiderman 4,” starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, has been delayed along with multiple late-night talk shows.

Now, reports confirm that the Screen Actors Guild – the largest union of actors in the country – has voted to authorize a strike if they can’t reach contract negotiations with major production companies. Reportedly, the collective of entertainers – comprised of 160,000 members – is giving production companies until June 30th before they begin walkouts. They are seeking, according to CBSNEWS:

“higher pay in light of lower residual payments for streaming content, as well as more generous studio contributions to the union’s benefit plans. The union is also seeking limits on self-taped auditions for actors, which the union says have become ‘a massive, daily, uncompensated burden on the lives of performers,'”

Adding:

“Like the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA is also seeking limits on so-called generative AI used to replace acting work.”

This is where Hollywood could fall into a downward slope. As the report notes, while it may be simple to replace writers, productions can’t be made without actors. A professor who has long studied labor in Hollywood reportedly stated:

“The studios right now can make movies without writers. They’re saying, ‘We already have a supply of material, we can easily go through the fall, we don’t need anyone,…Well, you need actors. Even if you have scripts and you have directors, who’s going to be acting?” 

SAG President Fran Drescher has reportedly been campaigning heavily in favor of the strike. Bringing on fellow actors like Kerry Washington, the former star of “The Nanny” urged other actors to join their cause, securing a 98% favorable vote. It’s noted that should talks fall through, the majority of Hollywood’s productions would cease filming immediately.

[VIA]

What do you predict will happen in the near entertainment future? Tell us in the comments below!