Today sees the beginning of the Writers Guild of America strike, which will see more than 11,000 members of the union downing their pens and keyboard as they fight for better pay. Negotiations have been ongoing for months, though have proved unsuccessful and the WGA has announced:
“Though we negotiated intent on making a fair deal … the studios’ responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing. They have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”
The Sandman and Good Omens writer Neil Gaiman was quick to announce his support, taking to Twitter to say:
He went on to underline that Prime Video’s upcoming Good Omens series 2 will not be affected:
This strike will have a major impact on many ongoing and upcoming productions. The previous writer’s strike lasted from November 2007 to February 2008 and crippled the production of ongoing TV shows, late-night talkshows, award ceremonies, and many movies.
The entertainment landscape in 2023 is very different from 2007-2008, with the advent of streaming and the increased popularity of international TV shows and movies meaning the gap can at least temporarily be filled by other content. That said, the longer this strike goes on, the worse TV and movies will get, with the previous strike seeing television ratings slump and movies being delayed.
It’s also commonplace for movies, particularly big-budget superhero blockbusters, to go back before the cameras in post-production for rewrites and reshoots. That may now not be an option for Marvel Studios and Warner Bros, meaning major releases like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Deadpool 3, Blade, and Fantastic Four may see substantial delays.
Here’s hoping the studios and the WGA can reach an agreement soon, or we’re in for some dark days for entertainment.