Hollywood writers are officially on strike
Hollywood is facing a writer’s strike, with over 11,000 film and television writers taking to the picket lines. The writers claim that their compensation is not in line with the revenue generated in the streaming era. This marks the first time since 2007-08 that writers have gone on strike, with the last work stoppage lasting for 100 days and disrupting production on several series and films.
Under the rules of the strike, writers are not allowed to work on any film or television projects for the duration of the stoppage. Late night shows, including “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” will be affected immediately. Late-night hosts have expressed support for their writing staff, with Fallon stating that he couldn’t do his show without them.
Scripted comedies and dramas may also have to cut their seasons short or delay filming, while the fall’s broadcast TV season could be delayed if the strike continues into the summer. This strike is the first of its kind during the streaming era, and streamers may choose to promote legacy content or license material from other countries in the event of content shortages.
The WGA is seeking higher compensation and residuals, particularly for streaming shows, and new rules that require studios to staff television shows with a certain number of writers for a specific period. The guild also wants compensation throughout the entire process of pre-production, production, and post-production. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has offered “generous increases in compensation” for writers and “improvements in streaming residuals,” but there are still sticking points in negotiations, including the union’s proposal to staff shows with an allotted number of writers, whether needed or not, for certain periods of time.
With the last strike encouraging the growth of reality unscripted shows, there are concerns that this strike could be lengthy as well. If it is prolonged, production shutdowns will catch up with content release timelines, likely affecting theatrical releases until the last quarter of 2023 or early 2024.
