Hollywood’s biggest stars may soon join television and film writers on the picket line if a deal is not reached between studios and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), by tonight’s deadline.
The contract between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the major Hollywood studios, expires at midnight on June 30th, but reportedly both sides are considering an extension.
Deadline reported that the extension could be until July 7, citing multiple sources.
Earlier this month, 98% of SAG’s 160,000 members voted in favor of a strike if an agreement cannot be reached.
Then this week, a letter signed by high-profile actors including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Stiller, and Neil Patrick Harris was circulated that made it clear the actors would go ahead with the strike if negotiations fail.
The actors are seeking better base pay in addition to assurances regarding how their work will be impacted by artificial intelligence (AI), an issue that is central to the ongoing writer’s strike by the Writers Guild of America that commenced on May 2.
Now in its ninth week, the writer’s strike forced many film and television projects to suspend production.
Should Hollywood’s biggest stars join in on the strike action, it would bring nearly all American film and television production to a standstill.
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