Studios prepare for the logistics of resuming a flood of productions after the SAG strike

Last Updated on October 3, 2023

Now that the WGA and the AMPTP have finally found a similar plane of terms to agree on, the picket lines have thinned out with the writers going back to work. The big gains in the deal that the studios have made with the writers similarly apply to what SAG has been fighting for since joining the strike. It is said that the resolved issues with the writers, which include the regulated use of AI for films and TV shows as well as residual pay for streaming projects, can also transfer to the actors’ terms. The actors’ union and the studios are scheduled to resume negotiations on Monday.

The resolution of the writers’ strike could hopefully mean a similar resolution for SAG-AFTRA as well. Once the actors’ union and the studios reach their own agreement, all the projects that have been put on pause will be back on after months of striking. According to Variety, Hollywood is preparing for the logistical nightmare of both resuming and starting the filming of movie and TV projects all at once. Elsa Ramo, an attorney who has represented Imagine Entertainment and Skydance, explained, “The priorities seem to be things that were all but greenlit but stopped because of the strike. They need to figure out how they finish what they started.”

While Tim Burton mentioned that Beetlejuice 2 was only days away from finishing, other big films like Deadpool 3, Gladiator 2, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, Venom 3, Twisters and Mortal Kombat 2 have all paused smack dab in the middle of their productions. Along with TV shows, like Stranger Things, that will also pick right back up, studios are scrambling to secure conflict-free scheduling of talent, soundstage reservations and on-location shooting.

A bevy of projects were also on the cusp of starting before the strikes. A production chief also explained, “As soon as the strikes are over, everybody is going to want to go after the same five directors and four stars. It becomes a supply-and-demand question. And whereas before the strike the shooting schedule was staggered, everybody is going to be putting a ton of movies and shows into production at exactly the same time.”