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Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) East hold signs as they walk the picket line outside the Peacock NewFront on May 02, 2023 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
The Writers Guild of America dropped their pens and picket lines a week ago, and their walkout was already hurting Hollywood productions.
More than 11,000 film and television writers, who say their compensation is disproportionate to the revenue generated in the broadcast era, went on strike for the first time since 2008. Immediately, the daily late-night shows disappeared, along with the weekly comedy “Saturday Night Live.” .”
Since then, a number of high-profile films and shows have gone on hiatus or closed production early, including Netflix “Stanger Things” Disney and Marvel’s Blade, + AppleTV “Severance” and Paramount “Evil.”
Beyond the delayed production and potentially delayed release of these titles, industry experts worry that the work stoppage could have a bigger financial impact than the previous writers’ strike.
Writers who ran picket lines 15 years ago have been on strike for 100 days, resulting in an estimated $2 billion cost to the industry, according to data from the Milken Institute. It also had major economic repercussions for ancillary businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and construction companies that are often engaged in film and television production.
This is the first strike of its kind during the broadcast era and it strikes several companies across three different aspects of their media businesses: theatrical, linear television, and broadcast.
The WGA is seeking higher compensation and residuals, particularly when it comes to airing shows, as well as new rules that require studios to staff television shows with a certain number of writers for a specified period. The syndicate also seeks compensation throughout the pre-production, production, and post-production process. Currently, writers are often expected to submit revisions or draft new material without being paid.
A number of productions with finished scripts, such as Amazon “The Rings of Power” decided to continue filming without writers or showrunners on set. Others chose to delay production.
On Monday, Apple’s “Severance” drama series halted production of its second season after members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Teamsters refused to cross the WGA line at New York’s York Studios.
This is the second Apple series to be closed due to the strike, after Maya Rudolph stopped filming last week in Los Angeles.
Over the weekend, “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer announced that production on the show’s fifth and final season has been delayed due to labor unrest.
“The writing doesn’t stop when filming begins,” the duo wrote on Twitter. “While we are excited to begin production with our amazing cast and crew, that is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal can be struck soon so we can all get back to work.”
Paramount’s “Evil” wrapped season 4 earlier than expected, in part because of turmoil from picketing WGA members, and in part, because a cast member is taking time off over a family matter. The season was scheduled to contain 10 episodes, but it remains unclear if the early end of production will affect those plans.
Warner Bros. Discovery Showtime’s “Hacks,” “Billions” and Starz’s “The Venery of Samantha Bird” have ceased production.
On the theatrical front, Marvel has put production on its “Blade” movie on hold. Filming was set to begin next month in Atlanta. Nick Pizzolatto, the creator of True Detective, was recently hired to work on the script, but he wasn’t finished. Production is expected to resume once the strike ends.
The Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance, in response to a request for comment on the halted production, declined to comment beyond statements made last week with the organization’s position on the outstanding negotiating points.
Ripple effect
The strike has already had cascading effects across the industry as stars and talent stand in solidarity with writers.
Drew Barrymore has stepped down from her role as host of the MTV Movie Awards as a show of support for the WGA. Several presenters, including Jamie Lee Curtis, have also indicated that they will not be attending the ceremony. The show eventually canceled its live broadcast and aired a taped version of the event on Sunday night.
Viewers at home may not immediately notice the impact of the strike, as episodes of popular shows continue to be released. However, future seasons may see significant delays or shortened episode counts.
ABC’s Abbott Elementary writers were supposed to meet May 2 to begin work on the third season of the popular comedy show. However, that room was closed due to the strike.
Similarly, the writers’ room on Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” met for just one day to work on the third season before it broke due to a strike. at Warner Bros. Discovery, the “Game of Thrones” prequel “A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,” closed its writers room for the duration of the strike.
It’s been six weeks since writing its eighth and final season for Netflix, but it’s been paused by a labor dispute. Season 6’s hit single “Cobra Kai” also saw the writers’ room shut down.
The longer the strike continues, the more production is expected to be affected.
“A prolonged strike is a definite possibility,” Doug Creutz, an analyst at TD Coin, wrote in a research note published on Friday. And the prolonged period was specified by more than three months.
“It is clear that a significantly extended strike will affect the amount of new offerings available for broadcast and linear network services, which could eventually start to raise both SVOD and cut the linear cord,” he said.
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