Pens down. Laptops turned off.
This morning, the Writers Guild announced a strike after months of negotiating backfired with the studios. The issue seems to be streaming.
According to the writers’ union, the studios don’t want to pay writers for their work when it’s streaming. This doesn’t make much sense given that streaming is very much part of the future.
Netflix is also the only studio implying the strike won’t cause turbulence to their content. They claim they’re backloaded with new content for a good long time.
Not that any of you would care that much, but the late night talk shows will also go into reruns beginning tonight. Tragic. How will I go a day without watching that goofball Jimmy Fallon?
From the Writers Guild West:
“The Board of Directors of the @WGAwest and the Council of the @WGAeast, acting upon the authority granted to them by their memberships, have voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday, May 2. The decision was made following six weeks of negotiating with @Netflix, @Amazon, @Apple, @Disney, @wbd, @NBCUniversal, @Paramountplus and @Sony
under the umbrella of the AMPTP. Though our Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing. Picketing will begin tomorrow afternoon.”
The last strike went on for 100 days and resulted in a pretty bad movie year, 2008.
Writers can no longer write scripts until this is settled. Movies being filmed will be halted. Executives need to come up with an offer that will give the writers a proper living.
The other unions are safe. They can continue working, if under contract, as long as it isn’t writing.
As if the industry needed another bump on the road. If this strike goes on for as long as the 2007-2008 one, this might greatly affect the amount of quality films we get.
Duffield's "Whalefall," the survival thriller about a diver swallowed by a sperm whale, is heading toward a roughly $7M-ish opening weekend, according to the most recent Saturday update.