Numerous productions are being stalled and canceled due to the ongoing writers’ strike. On May 2nd, 2023, The Writers Guild of America went on strike after 6 weeks of attempted negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had failed. These producers represent major production companies including Netflix, Apple, Disney, and Amazon. As of right now, the studios have no intention of sitting down with The Writer Guild any time soon.
Production writers decided to go on strike due to their need for higher compensation. They demand this because median weekly writer pay has declined 23% over the last decade due to inflation. Now, around half of TV writers are being paid the minimum. They tend to get paid between 2-3% of the production budget of the film. The estimated average yearly pay for a writer in Hollywood is around $55,605 at $23 an hour. Writers, additionally, believe they should be getting paid by stream rates so that they will be paid extra for how successful the show later becomes.
Writers are additionally demanding protections from the rise of AI. They want the entertainment industry to set better regulations for how it’s being used so that they are not replaced entirely. They believe that AI will take over screenwriting and, best case scenario, they will only be hired to edit. This is a valid concern these days since AI already replaced an abundant amount of jobs and was responsible for the nearly 4,000 cuts made this year alone.
Not only are writers on strike, but actors have also been on strike since July 14th of this year. They are protesting against AI technology using their images, as well as how they’ll be paid for future use. Shawn Gunn, widely known for playing Kirk on Gilmore Girls, very passionately stated his opinion on actors not being additionally paid for acting in shows that have since made millions.
“Really this is about fairness for everybody and we just want to make sure that we have a fair deal. If a show’s a success, we (actors) should participate in that. That seems totally reasonable,” Gunn said.
Some of the movies and TV shows that have been delayed include multiple Marvel movies, The Batman: Part 2, Dune: Part 2, It Ends With Us, Grey’s Anatomy, Emily In Paris, Cobra Kai, Outer Banks, All American, Criminal Minds, Stranger Things, etc. All of which were widely anticipated films that many fans are upset about waiting months and even years longer to see. Even talk shows including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Drew Barrymore Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live have been delayed due to this strike. Cloe Gardner, a junior at Green High School, shares her perspective on this subject.
“Before the strike, I was really looking forward to the release of the new era of Avengers movies as well as the new season of Stranger Things. Hopefully the delay or the decision to not release these movies help bring awareness to the issue, as many fans were looking forward to watching these new films,” said Gardner.
Writers and actors continue to be creative in order to stand for what they believe in and keep this strike going until justice is served. Unfortunately, studios and the AMPTP think the strike will end sometime around October due to writers running out of money after 5 months of not working.
The writers strike officially ended on Wednesday, September 27 bringing Hollywood back to life by a unanimous vote from the union.
