Hollywood is in its final hours to reach an agreement with members of the Screen Actors Guild, or else the future of some upcoming films and TV shows could be in for an unhappy ending.
SAG-AFTRA is preparing to go on strike if the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios across Hollywood, don’t reach an agreement by midnight (NBCUniversal, the parent company of TODAY.com, is in the alliance).
“We’ve been in it for weeks now with great hope that we’ll be able to arrive at a an equitable agreement,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher told TODAY about the negotiations. “We’re not going to settle, though.”
Drescher’s comments come after more than a thousand actors, including stars like Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and Joaquin Phoenix signed a letter to union leaders saying they are “prepared to strike,” according to Deadline.
“This is not a moment to meet in the middle, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the eyes of history are on all of us,” the actors said in the letter, according to Deadline. “We ask that you push for all the change we need and protections we deserve and make history doing it.”
The actors are demanding higher pay, more residuals from streaming and protection against the misuse of artificial intelligence.
“This is the power of celebrity,” Marc Malkin, senior editor at Variety, said on TODAY. “We have a top top talent — the highest paid people in Hollywood. But they are willing to strike and say, ‘No, we are not going to compromise.'”
SAG’s contract is set to expire at midnight, which could lead to actors going on strike, alongside television and film writers, who authorized a strike nearly two months ago.
Deadline reported the majority of scripted TV series have already been shut down or halted by the writers’ strike.
If the guild and the studios don’t reach an agreement, it could compound the writers’ work stoppage, which has paused production on series like season four of “Emily in Paris” and the final season of “Stranger Things.”
Streaming platforms have been leaning into foreign shows, while networks are replacing scripted series with game shows and reality TV during the writers’ strike.
If the actors strike, U.S. series that have been able to continue shooting abroad in the U.K. and Europe could also be shut down, according to Deadline.
As for films, a strike could cause summer’s hottest movies like “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” and “Mission Impossible” to take a box office hit, as actors wouldn’t be able to promote the films.
The future of movies during the last quarter of the year would also become uncertain, as a strike would cause a complete shut down of feature productions worldwide.
Deadline reported SAG and the alliance are considering extending negotiations through July 7 or later due to the upcoming holiday, but for now, the deadline to reach an agreement remains at midnight.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
