Hollywood preps for cancellations, delays amid potential SAG strike

The buzzword in Hollywood right now is strike, with the Writers Guild of America actively in theirs and SAG-AFTRA possibly nearing their own. Uh, then what?

While the WGA strike has put numerous productions on hold in Hollywood, Deadline notes (in a new piece titled “What Happens To Hollywood (And Beyond) If The Actors Go On Strike”) that a Screen Actors Guild strike would have more global repercussions. After all, SAG-AFTRA has more than 160,000 members, compared to the WGA’s ~20,000. And with so many productions filming outside of the United States, that would mean more than just domestic offices closing down.

Stopping so many productions amid another Hollywood strike would, of course, further impact the release calendar as well. We’ve already seen how much the WGA strike has played a role in this, as Disney has significantly shuffled their own releases, moving back major films like the upcoming Avatar and Star Wars installments, with Avatar 5 now expected in 2031. Major projects currently filming that could see an impact include the next Mission: Impossible, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 and Juror #2, expected to be Clint Eastwood’s last movie. Come on, the dude’s 93, let him sneak past the line on this one!

Also on the international side of things, a strike on the Hollywood front could play into film festivals as well. And while there isn’t concern at the moment, that doesn’t mean it’s not something to keep in mind. According to one festival rep quoted by Deadline, “We are going ahead assuming there will be talent at our event and on the carpet. Studios and streamers haven’t mentioned the strike yet. Should it happen, it’s force majeure. Nothing you can do. The pandemic has taught us to live with uncertainties.”

Evidently, a SAG strike would also affect the upcoming Emmy Awards, one of the biggest nights in Hollywood. Such an occurrence calls to mind the 32nd Emmys, which took place amid the 1980 actors strike. Of historical note, the only winner to attend that year was the late Powers Boothe.

Unlike the WGA, SAG has a much leaner history of strikes, with the most recent being over 20 years ago. They did, however, launch one of the earliest major strikes in Hollywood back in 1960, the same year WGA initiated their first.

How would another Hollywood strike impact you as a moviegoer? What do you hope comes of the negotiations? Let us know below.