The WGA Strike is on and picket lines have emerged around major studios and ongoing shoots as writers demand fairer treatment from studios. Left-wing political commentator and hugely popular Twitch streamer Hasan Piker spent yesterday on the ground with the strikers, and along the way apparently succeeded in shutting down production on the upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus show Wonder Man.
We reported on this while the picket was underway, with the picketers gathering with the express intentional of delaying the production. As one of the picketers explained, the Wonder Man team was on location to shoot some pick-up shots, so cast members Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Kingsley, and Ed Harris almost certainly weren’t on set at the time.
Even so, this successful action is proof that even shows that are already deep into production aren’t immune from the effects of the strike and the temperature on the ground remains high.
During a live stream, a fellow picketer estimates that Marvel Studios having to pack up and go home early may have lost them “a few hundred thousand dollars,” hoping that the financial hit (and the threat of successful future action) will encourage Disney to return to the negotiating table and give their writers a better deal.
It’s unlikely that this will be a major setback for Wonder Man, though with filming set to continue in and around the Los Angeles area until early August, we suspect the picketers will return in force to try and stop this and any other major studio productions taking place in the area.
That, coupled with the Teamsters’ policy that if there are more than two people on a picket line they won’t bring their trucks in may spell serious problems for studios going forward. Bring on the chaos.
