2023-07-13 14:47:42
Hollywood was headed for an actors’ strike on Thursday, following talks between major US studios and the powerful actors’ union broke down. The latter denounced “insulting” salary proposals.
“After more than four weeks of negotiations”, the previous agreement expired Wednesday evening at midnight without any hope of conciliation, noted the union SAG-AFTRA. Its positions are far too far removed from that of the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), which brings together historic film groups such as Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery and Sony, and digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon or Apple.
“The AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our vital contribution to this industry. Employers have refused to engage meaningfully on some issues and on others we have completely ignored”, wrote in a press release published Thursday this union, which represents 160,000 actors and other professionals of the small and big screen. The union office must ratify the start of the strike on Thursday.
Screenwriters already on strike
If they launched this movement, the actors would then join the screenwriters, who have ceased work since the beginning of May. This double social movement bringing together the faces and feathers of the film industry will be a first since 1960 in Hollywood.
>> Read also: The screenwriters begin their third week of strike in Hollywood
The two trades are demanding an increase in their remuneration, at half mast in the era of streaming. They also want guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence, to prevent AI from generating scripts, or cloning their voice and image.
>> Read regarding it: Artificial intelligence in cinema, only science fiction?
The actors going on strike would be a blow for the bosses of the studios and streaming platforms.
>> Listen to the explanations of the issues of La Matinale
The actors’ union and the American studios have only two hours left to find an agreement / La Matinale / 2 min. / today at 06:27
A whole sector affected by the strike
Since May, the only productions that have decided to shoot do so on the basis of scripts already completed in the spring, without being able to modify them. This is particularly the case for the Amazon-funded “Lord of the Rings” prequel, “The Rings of Power”. But, without actors, filming would simply not be possible. Only a few talk shows and reality TV shows might continue.
Actors also have the power to seriously handicap the promotion of this summer’s blockbusters, such as Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated ‘Oppenheimer’, whose London premiere on Thursday will be brought forward an hour to allow its cast to ensure interviews before the start of a possible strike.
Emmys under threat
The Emmy Awards ceremony, the equivalent of the Oscars for television, scheduled for September 18, is threatened. The production is already considering postponing the event to November, or even to 2024, according to the American press.
>> Read also: “Succession” in the lead for the Emmy Awards, threatened by the strike
No one knows how long the movement might last. Actors have not gone on strike since 1980. The last writers’ strike, which dates back to 2007-2008, lasted 100 days and cost the sector two billion dollars.
ats/juma
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