Hollywood film and TV actors remain on picket lines, with the longest strike in their history hitting the 100-day mark on Saturday. Here’s a look at where things stand and what happens next.
INSIDE THE TALKS THAT FAILED
Hopes were high and leaders of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists were cautiously optimistic when they resumed negotiations on October 2 for the first time since the strike began two-and-a-half months earlier.
The same group of chief executives from the biggest studios had made a major deal just over a week earlier with striking writers, whose leaders celebrated their gains on many issues actors are also fighting for: long-term pay, consistency of employment and control over the use of artificial intelligence.
But the actors’ talks were tepid before studios abruptly ended discussions on October 11, saying the actors’ demands were exorbitantly expensive and the two sides were too far apart to continue
The reasons, according to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, included a union demand for a fee for each subscriber to streaming services
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THE ACTORS STRIKE?
The actors are in unscripted territory, with no end in sight. Their union has never been on a strike this long
As they did for months before the talks broke off, members and leaders will rally, picket and speak out publicly until the studios signal a willingness to talk again
WHAT’S HAPPENING TO MOVIES AND TV SHOWS?
The return of writers has the Hollywood production machine churning again, with rooms full of scribes penning new seasons of shows that had been suspended
The finished product will await the end of the actors strike, and production will remain suspended on many TV shows and dozens of films, including Wicked, Deadpool 3 and Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 2
The Emmys, whose nominations were announced the day before the actors strike, opted to wait for the stars and move their ceremony from September to January – though that date could be threatened
The Oscars are in March 2024 but the campaigns to win them are usually well underway. With some exceptions performers are prohibited from promoting their films at press junkets or on red carpets.