While the Barbie red carpets have been keeping us entertained for weeks, they’re going to be the last injection of Hollywood glamour we’ll see for an unknown amount of time.
And if there’s any doubt about that, just look at one of Hollywood’s brightest stars – Nicole Kidman – who isn’t even immune to the newly announced Hollywood strike action.
Nicole’s newest show, Special Ops: Lioness, has had its premiere cancelled for Los Angeles, just as the cast of Oppenheimer walked off of the London red carpet premiere.
This is because SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood actors, has officially joined the writers on strike against the film and TV companies, ushering in Hollywood’s first dual shutdown in 63 years.
Now the strike — which started at midnight on Thursday, July 13, with picketing to begin on Friday morning — has commenced, the tens of thousands of film and television actors in SAG must cease all work covered by their union contract.
Why is Hollywood on strike?
It comes down to two major negotiation issues. The first is that writers and actors alike are seeking increases in base pay and residuals in the streaming TV era.
The second issue pertains to the rise in artificial intelligence, as leading networks floated the idea of paying actors just one day’s work to capture their likeness and then being allowed to replicate it as they saw fit through AI.
“We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said during Thursday’s press conference. “At some point you have to say, ‘No, we’re not going to take this anymore.'”
What are the SAG-AFTRA strike rules?
The rules of the strike were set out in a memo published publicly this week.
It explicitly states that all SAG-AFTRA members are prohibited from taking part in
- Acting
- Singing
- Dancing
- Performing stunts
- Piloting on-camera aircraft
- Puppeteering
- Performance capture or motion capture work;
- ADR/Looping
- TV Trailers (promos) and Theatrical Trailers
- Voice Acting
- Singing
- Narration, including audio descriptive services except as the services may be
- covered by another collective bargaining agreement referred in the Notice to
- Stunt coordinating and related services
- Background work
- Stand-in work
- Photo and/or body doubles
- Fittings, wardrobe tests, and makeup tests
- Rehearsals and camera tests
- Scanning
- Interviews and auditions (including via self-tape).
According to the guidelines, SAG-AFTRA members will not be able to attend premieres, do interviews for completed work, go to awards shows, attend film festivals or even promote projects on social media while the strike is in effect. They are also not allowed to attend conventions such as Comic-Con or 90s Con to promote any past or present work made under a SAG-AFTRA contract.
The full list of banned activities include
- Tours
- Personal appearances
- Interviews
- Conventions
- Fan expos
- Festivals
- For your consideration events
- Panels
- Premieres/screenings
- Award shows
- Junkets
- Podcast appearances
- Social media
- Studio showcases.
How long could the strike last?
Well, this depends on if the network and company bosses can reach a deal with the unions.
However, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher has hinted the actors are prepared to really dig their heels in.
“Right now, we discussed what it would cost if it went for six months, so we’re looking for the long haul,” she revealed. “The gravity of a commitment like this is not lost on any of us. It’s major. But we also see that we have no future and no livelihood unless we take this action, unfortunately.”
What movies and television shows are affected?
While movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer were already made and expected to release in the next week, other major motion pictures and television shows will grind to a halt.
So far, movies that have officially stopped production include the upcoming Wicked adaptation starring Ariana Grande, Avatar 4, and Marvel movies like the new Spider-Man and Captain America.
The long-awaited sequels to Gladiator and Beetlejuice will also be delayed.
Work on some major shows like Stranger Things, The Last of Us, and Yellowjackets has been halted due to the joint actors’ and writers' strike, as well as Saturday Night Live.
