Here we go again. “I certainly won’t rule out a strike,” SAG-AFTRA’s Duncan Crabtree-Ireland tells Puck when asked about the upcoming negotiations.
Crabtree-Ireland aims to begin talks on February 9. “With weeks and weeks of time for us to negotiate, there is no reason we shouldn’t be able to reach a deal,” he added.
The main issues are expected to focus on A.I., cost-of-living adjustments, and health insurance.
My message to everyone involved is this: please, for the love of movies, do not repeat what happened in 2023, when the industry effectively shut down for months—coming off a crippling pandemic that had already driven many regular moviegoers, especially those 50 and older, toward streaming.
Last month, SAG-AFTRA informed its members that its negotiating team will meet with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers starting February 9, with discussions scheduled to continue through March 6.
The Writers Guild of America is set to begin its negotiations about ten days later, on March 16, with its contract expiring on May 1—a timeline that often leads to last-minute agreements.
The Directors Guild of America is expected to start talks on May 11, following a similar pattern. Both the DGA and SAG-AFTRA contracts are set to expire on June 30, and even if SAG-AFTRA does not reach a deal before the WGA negotiations, there will be a chance to resume discussions in June.
Just five Cannes competition titles still seek U.S. distribution, four of them subpar, all French. The fifth, and easily the best film still without US studio attachment, is Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love.”