Hollywood insiders predict writers strike to drag on through summer
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People marching on the streets on the fourth day of the strike by the Writers Guild of America on May 5.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – The Hollywood writers’ strike
On Thursday, the third day of the walkout that has roiled the industry, the two sides – the Writers Guild of America and major studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers – remained so far apart that each side blamed the other for the abrupt end of 11th-hour negotiations to avert the strike.
No new talks have been scheduled.
The dispute represents a clash between writers, who see themselves working more but earning less in the streaming era, and studios attempting to rein in costs to make their money-draining services profitable amid the rapid decline of the traditional television business and threats of another recession.
“There’s no driving force to get a deal done now. I think it will go on for a while,” said one media chief who, like other executives, requested anonymity to discuss private talks.
In the wake of the strike, actress and television host Drew Barrymore last Thursday dropped out of hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards scheduled on Sunday.
“I have listened to the writers and, in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike. Everything we celebrate and honour about movies and television is born out of their creation,” Barrymore said in a statement to entertainment trade publication Variety.
Marvel Studios has also put a hold on the pre-production of the superhero vampire hunter film Blade, which is to star Oscar winner Mahershala Ali.
The Duffer Brothers, who created Netflix’s blockbuster drama Stranger Things (2016 to present), also announced that filming for the show’s fifth and final season would be delayed until a deal is reached.
“Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work,” they said in a statement posted on Twitter.
At Amazon, filming for epic drama Rings Of Power (2022 to present) will continue, reported cable news outlet CNN, with “non-writing executive producers, directors and crew”. An Amazon spokesman said there were only 19 days left for filming of the second season, which remains “calmly on schedule”.
A protracted strike could be damaging to media companies that rely on scripted material and have a dearth of other content to fill scheduling gaps caused by an extended work stoppage, such as sports rights or news programming, according to an analysis from Moody’s investors service.
Moody’s estimates a three-year contract with writers ultimately will cost the media industry US$250 million to US$350 million (S$331 million to S$464 million) a year, a more modest estimate than the guild’s projections of about US$429 million a year.
“Obviously, we’ve been planning for this,” Paramount Global chief executive Bob Bakish told investors last Thursday, during the company’s quarterly investor call. But “in terms of financial impact, it ultimately depends on the duration of the strike”.
One film industry executive is worried that a prolonged work stoppage could drive consumers to more deeply embrace other forms of entertainment, like the social media feeds flowing into their smartphones.
“You’re burning down the house and there’s not going to be a house to come back to,” said the executive. “Look at the Covid-19 pandemic. It accelerated streaming because there were no movie theatres to go to. It changed consumer behaviour and expectations.” REUTERS, NYTIMES
