Trade unions
Hollywood strike: actors and studios reach an agreement
The actors’ union has reached a preliminary agreement with the film studios. photo
© Mark J. Terrill/AP
Actresses in Hollywood went on strike for almost four months. They demanded more money and regulation of the use of AI in the industry. Now there is a “provisional agreement”.
The provisional agreement could end the 118-day strike at midnight (local time, 09:00 CET), it said. The agreement still needs to be ratified by union members before it can take effect. Details are not yet known.
The approximately 160,000 actors and actresses in the USA had been on strike since July 14th. The actors demanded, among other things, better remuneration and the regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in the industry. The screenwriters had also been on strike since the beginning of May, but reached an agreement with the studios in early October. It was the first time in more than 60 years that writers and actors had struck at the same time.
If union members approve the agreement, the entire contract is expected to be made public on Friday. If the actors then return to work, it would end one of the longest and largest work stoppages in Hollywood history.
Numerous blockbusters postponed
The strike shut down production across the industry for nearly four months and raised existential questions about the future of the entertainment industry. Numerous television and film productions were interrupted or canceled.
Although many reality shows and some independent projects were able to continue production, major studios were forced to postpone numerous blockbusters, including “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Dune: Part Two” and “Gladiator 2” as well as series hits such as “Euphoria” and “Stranger Things”.
The unions particularly demanded better compensation when films or series are streamed on platforms such as Netflix, Apple and Amazon. Another central topic was the use of AI. Writers were worried that studios would replace them with technology. Actors feared that their likeness would be digitized and simulated without compensation or consent.
Authors accepted new collective agreement
At the beginning of October, writers in Hollywood put an end to their nearly five-month-long strike. With an overwhelming majority of 99 percent, the screenwriters accepted the new collective agreement with the major film studios. This also contains wage increases and regulations for the use of AI as well as higher subsidies for old age and health care.