Hollywood writers may soon be back at work, after their union reached a tentative agreement with major Hollywood studios and streamers this week to end the strike that has brought all major scripted productions to a standstill for nearly five months.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) released a joint statement on Sunday night indicating that they had agreed in principle on a three-year contract. The details of the full deal were not released, as some final details need to be worked out. While picketing will stop, the strike will not officially end until the deal has been approved by the union before being officially ratified by WGA members.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, WGA leadership sent the following message to strike captains on Sunday, “We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language. We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
Talks first began to heat up late last week, and the resumption of negotiations after so many weeks of silence led to optimism that a deal could get done as early as Thursday, Sept. 21. However, writers and producers needed the weekend to settle several sticking points, including last-minute provisions regarding artificial intelligence (AI) use and minimum staffing for writers’ rooms.
Those were some of the union’s top asks during the strike, along with a residual formula that accounts for how much streaming has changed the nature of home entertainment. The presence of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos at this weekend’s negotiations demonstrates that evolution, as he joined colleagues including Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, NBCUniversal film head Donna Langley, and Disney chairman Bob Iger who showed up in person to add their weight to the proceedings and push a deal closer to the finish line. Zaslav and Iger, who are responsible for the streamers Max, Disney+, and Hulu respectively, caused friction with writers early in the strike with comments many considered inflammatory, so their presence at the talks was a good sign that real progress was being made.
The WGA has been on strike since May 1, and all summer long photos and reports from picket lines outside major Hollywood studios and streamers have made it clear that the union believed this round of negotiations was crucial to the evolution of the industry. Many felt that if they didn’t get the changes in streaming residuals and protections against AI that they were asking for this time, they’d never get them.
Despite the positive news, it’s unclear when exactly currently unemployed scribes will resume work. The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is still on strike, and the WGA may recommend to its members that no work begin until its sister union also settles with the AMPTP. That resolution could come quickly, however, as many of the main issues (use of AI, for instance) that prevented the WGA from agreeing to a deal are shared by SAG-AFTRA. The WGA East and WGA West boards have to approve the deal before it is sent to the general membership for a vote. At that point, WGA leadership will set a date for its members to go back to work.
At 146 days, the strike was close to becoming the longest in Hollywood history. Only the 1988 strike lasted longer, at 154 days. If all the necessary final steps move forward without further delays, writers could be back at work on hotly anticipated shows and movies like “Stranger Things,” “Deadpool 3,” and others very soon.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.